16 top retired generals and admirals: “The severe cuts to the State Department and USAID that the Administration has proposed will make America less safe, and Congress should reject them”

WASHINGTON — With Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Capitol Hill this week for hearings on President Trump’s FY18 budget proposal, 16 top retired generals and flag officers — all of whom had earned four stars — submitted joint testimony today in defense of America’s development budget. “It is clear to us that strategic development assistance is not charity,” the military leaders write. “It is an essential, modern tool of U.S. national security.” More from the testimony:

“American security is advanced by the development of stable nations that are making progress on social development, economic growth, and good governance; by countries that enforce the rule of law and invest in the health and education of their own people. In short, America’s interests are served by nations that give their people hope that tomorrow will be better than today.

“Conversely, American security is undermined by frail and failing nations where hope is non-existent, and where conditions foster radicalism, produce refugees, spark insurgency, and provide safe havens for terrorists, criminal gangs, and human traffickers. In this light, it is clear to us that strategic development assistance is not charity — it is an essential, modern tool of U.S. national security.

“U.S. development efforts should be respected — and budgeted — as investments in stability enhancement. The severe cuts to the State Department and USAID that the Administration has proposed will make America less safe, and Congress should reject them.”

The testimony was signed by (listed alphabetically):

General Philip Breedlove, USAF (Ret.); General George Casey, USA (Ret.); General Carter Ham, USA (Ret.); General James Jones, USMC (Ret.); General George Joulwan, USA (Ret.); General Stanley McChrystal, USA (Ret.); Admiral William McRaven, USNA (Ret.); Admiral Michael Mullen, USN (Ret.); Admiral Eric Olson, USN (Ret.); General John Paxton, USMC (Ret.); General David Petraeus, USA (Ret.); General Joe Ralston, USAF (Ret.); Admiral Gary Roughead, USN (Ret.); General Hugh Shelton USA, (Ret.); Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.); and Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, USN (Ret.)

The testimony was submitted to Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It has also been shared with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, the House Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and House Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, all of which are considering the White House’s FY18 budget proposal, which calls for a 32 percent cut to the budgets of the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development.

These 16 former generals and flag officers are not the first military leaders to advocate on behalf of so-called “soft power” this year. In late February, more than 120 retired military leaders sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging support for the International Affairs budget. During their respective posture hearings, six combatant commanders discussed the importance of development and diplomacy to their missions.

The ONE Campaign’s president and CEO, Gayle Smith, said:

“As the uniformed military knows well, an underfunded civilian budget is a costly proposition, while stepping away from development risks weakening American leadership.”

For the last year, The ONE Campaign has worked with some the signers of the testimony on a project looking at policies that would stimulate development efforts in fragile and conflict states. For this testimony, ONE offered logistical, political, and policy support, hoping to make sure Congress hears them loudly and clearly.