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The Weekly GAB Friday, February 16, 2018
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
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Military Letters Roundup

FOREIGN POLICY
State Department, USAID Face Drastic Budget Cut |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=8TTg2PLF7C0NcPPJCO8twg

Dan De Luce and Robbie Gramer

The possible cut in the FY 2018 budget prompted a warning on Sunday
from 151 retired senior military commanders, including former chiefs
of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Special Operations
forces, that the reduction could undermine America's global
influence at a time of growing threats to national security. "We
must not undercut our nation's ability to lead around the world
in such turbulent times," the former officers wrote in a letter
to congressional leaders. The letter was released by the U.S. Global
Leadership Coalition, an organization that convenes military,
business, and faith leaders to support resources for the State
Department and USAID.

CNN
Trump Admin Wants to Slash Funding for Diplomacy |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=DmeyhgYhqxAFrVxE97NPyQ

Nicole Gaouette

The expected cuts from 2017 funding levels prompted 151 retired three-
and four-star generals to write to congressional leaders from both
parties on Friday urging them to "ensure a responsible commitment of
resources" that keeps pace with the growing threats the US faces. "We
must not undercut our nation's ability to lead around the world in
such turbulent times," the generals wrote. They highlighted the role
that aid and diplomacy play in averting crises that eventually need a
military response, pointing to the nearly 30 million people at risk of
starvation in four countries; the increasing number displaced by
instability and conflict in Yemen, Somalia, Myanmar and Venezuela; and
the challenge of holding territory after the defeat of ISIS.

POLITICO

Lawmakers Promise Bipartisan 'No' to Trump Plan for
Cutting Diplomacy and Aid Money |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=-ppHflcDa5PfJuSICv30QQ

Nahal Toosi

The White House on Monday proposed allocating $41.7 billion for the
International Affairs Budget in fiscal 2019, a category that includes
the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International
Development. That's a 30 percent cut from the fiscal 2017
enacted level of $59.6 billion, according to an analysis of the
proposal by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. In recent days,
hundreds of military veterans, including more than 150 retired
generals and admirals, have sent letters to congressional leaders
urging them to avoid the proposed cuts to diplomacy and foreign aid.
"We call on you to ensure our nation also has the civilian
resources necessary to protect our national security, compete against
our adversaries and create opportunities around the world," the
retired generals and admirals wrote.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Iraq Wants $88 Billion for Rebuilding. Allies Offer a Fraction of
That. |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=x4BsjWCw9BuJ12Eo4nQUSA

Gardiner Harris and Margaret Coker

An Iraq fund-raising conference in Kuwait attended by dozens of
potential donors was headed for failure on Tuesday, with barely $4
billion pledged - none from the United States. While the
conference does not end until Wednesday, the message was clear:
President Trump is leaving nation-building to others, and they are
barely responding. On Sunday, a group of 151 retired senior military
commanders, including former chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps,
Special Operations and Air Force, sent a letter to congressional
leaders saying that cuts to aid programs would threaten the military
gains made against the Islamic State. "And while we have seen
military progress against ISIS, the question that looms is whether we
are prepared to protect those battlefield gains and prevent bad actors
from stepping into the void," the letter states.

STARS AND STRIPES
Harris: Don't Weaken State Department, Diplomacy With Cuts |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=4arD12L1rqkiB5P1WxkYjg

Claudia Grisales

The outgoing head of Pacific Command told a panel of House lawmakers
Wednesday that the State Department and U.S. diplomatic efforts are
critical to national security. The comments were part of a House Armed
Services Committee hearing examining military posture and security
challenges in the Pacific region. On Monday, the Trump administration
unveiled its 2019 budget plan, which includes controversial cuts to
the State Department and other diplomacy efforts. n recent days, more
than 1,200 veterans and 150 retired generals wrote congressional
leaders rejecting the proposed cuts to the international affairs
budget, which includes the State Department and other diplomacy
efforts.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Latest: Retired Generals, Vets Urge Against US Aid Cuts

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=omgZt0whvYw4idY2GOSg-w

More than 150 retired U.S. generals and admirals and more than 1,200
veterans are urging the Trump administration not to make steep cuts to
the State Department, foreign aid and other overseas programs. In
separate letters, the former military leaders and rank-and-file
veterans are emphasizing the need to invest in diplomacy alongside
America's military. The letters come as President Donald Trump
again proposes slashing the international operations budget by almost
one-third in his budget proposal. The retired generals...say that
"today's crises do not have military solutions
alone." The list of veterans includes those from all military
branches. They write that the U.S. must strengthen its global
leadership amid escalating crises rather than weaken it by sidelining
diplomacy and development assistance.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Retired Senior Military Leaders Warn Against Expected Cuts in
Diplomatic, Foreign Aid Budgets

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=K-_Iy9G1kP2_7m7zCQNYFw

More than 150 retired U.S. generals and admirals have denounced cuts
to diplomatic efforts and foreign aid expected under the upcoming
White House budget proposal. "We must not undercut our nation's
ability to lead around the world in such turbulent times," they
wrote to congressional leaders. "Today, nearly 30 million people risk
starvation in four countries where we also face the growing threat of
violent extremism," the retired brass wrote. "And while we have seen
military progress against ISIS, the question that looms is whether we
are prepared to protect those battlefield gains and prevent bad actors
from stepping into the void."

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Defense Spending Rises to $686 Billion for 2019 |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=ACeQpZAvo3eCukUJlrEL8A

Carlo Muñoz

The cuts, if enacted, would severely erode American "soft
power" projection around the world, diplomats and defense
officials warn. Several former top military officers criticized at the
notion of possible State Department cuts Monday, saying Washington
risks losing its recent military gains in Iraq, Afghanistan and
elsewhere. "Near-term cuts is not just a near-term cut, its
enduring. You will always be catching up," Gen. Charles F. Wald,
former deputy commander for U.S. European Command, said on a
conference call with reporters. The Pentagon's increasing
dependence on allies and proxy forces to battle extremists will
require a robust U.S. diplomatic presence, said retired Army Chief of
Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. on the call. "We have a strategy
and budget mismatch."

Who's in the News

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Bill and Melinda Gates Tackle 'Tough Questions' and Trump
|

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=VKnq-mxRKdXxwx5hcBz-Mw

Nick Wingfield

Mr. and Ms. Gates are badgered about Mr. Trump so often that they made
the topic part of the annual letter they published early
Tuesday...This is the 10th annual letter the Gateses have published,
which they're marking by answering 10 "tough
questions" they frequently get. Mr. Gates, 62, said he was
particularly worried about Mr. Trump's threats to cut foreign
aid, which the Gates Foundation considers critical in the global
battle against disease and poverty. He said that he was reassured that
Congress had so far resisted the president's demands to cut aid
and that he and his wife had increased their visits to Republican
members of Congress to stress the importance of maintaining the aid
budget.

THE TENNESSEAN
How U.S. Can Feed Millions More Hungry People Around the World

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=HPkW4aZQWXSO-x2ExC47CQ

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), Senator Chris Coon (D-DE) and Zippy Duvall,
President of the American Farm Bureau Federation

For decades, American farmers have played a critical role in reducing
hunger overseas. Since the Food for Peace program was established by
Congress in 1954, more than four billion people and more than 150
countries have benefited from U.S.-supported food security programs.
Unfortunately, despite the American people's generosity, we are
not currently able to meet the tremendous demand as conflict hinders
access to those most vulnerable to famine. What you may not know is
that we have an opportunity to feed nine million more starving people
each year without spending a single additional taxpayer dollar if we
modernize the Food for Peace program when Congress reauthorizes the
farm bill later this year.

THE HILL
Timing Could Not Be Worse to Cut Foreign Assistance

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=0B82W_aQLQKBp8t77LYelA

Carolyn Miles, President & CEO, Save the Children

The White House is proposing a massive cut to the international
affairs budget again this year. The timing could not be worse. More
than 350 million children more than the entire population of the
United States live in conflict zones today, and conflict is more
dangerous for children now than at any time in the last 20 years. Now
is the time to do more - not less - to protect these children. When we
invest in the next generation's safety, health and education, we
stop the cycle of violence and support stability in conflict affected
regions. As we've heard directly from humanitarians, diplomats,
and military officials alike, foreign assistance is a smart investment
for all of us.

REUTERS
The Best Way to Fix U.S. Diplomacy

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=4WYORlDxGkyNcgAEqlR-eA

Former Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) and Ambassador Thomas
Pickering, former Under Secretary of State

American foreign policy currently stands at a crossroads. There are
two possible paths forward: withdrawal from the world as a result of
the Trump administration's proposed cuts to the international
affairs budget, or a reassertion of America's indispensable
global role led by a capable, modern State Department and an
empowered, adequately-funded U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID). To us, a former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and a former Under Secretary of State, the choice seems
clear. International engagement is in America's economic and
security interests, and we must support our civilian agencies in their
unique and mutually-reinforcing missions.

Development & Diplomacy

THE WASHINGTON POST

Should the U.S. Only Give Foreign Aid to its Friends? Well, Define
'Friends'

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=moO99VwPjKTeAb8f9KOAyg

Jessica Trisko Darden, Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow, American Enterprise
Institute

At his Jan. 30 State of the Union speech, Trump made it clear that
U.S. foreign assistance should "always serve American interests,
and only go to America's friends." But the
administration's fiscal 2019 budget request released this week
takes a step back. The 2019 request restored funding to 24 of the 37
countries that were zeroed out in the fiscal 2018 request - a
move that Congress rejected during appropriations. This could signal
tacit recognition that the "friends only" policy on
foreign assistance - while in line with Trump's
"America First" agenda - is fraught with problems,
including identifying who America's "friends"
actually are.

NPR
Trump Proposes Deep Cuts In Detecting Disease Outbreaks Worldwide |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=LbY4V4Bslk8VvH_8q_GzzQ

Michaeleen Doucleff

There's a glaring hole in President Trump's budget proposal for 2019,
global health researchers say. A U.S. program to help other countries
beef up their ability to detect pathogens around the world will lose a
significant portion of its funding. The ambitious program, called
Global Health Security Agenda, was launched in early 2014, aiming to
set up an early-warning system for infectious diseases across the
world. After the Ebola outbreak later that year the program was
significantly ramped up with an additional $120 million dollars a year
to expand the building of disease-detection systems to dozens more
developing countries around the world. That ramped-up funding runs out
in September 2019. And while Trump is keeping the original program he
has not proposed continued funding at the current level.

Politics & Foreign Policy

THE WASHINGTON POST
Pence: The United States Is Ready to Talk With North Korea |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=U1z5IwVNGsnr2qJ3v2NUiA

Josh Rogin

Vice President Pence, in an interview aboard Air Force Two on the way
home from the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, told me that in his two
substantive conversations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in
during his trip, the United States and South Korea agreed on terms for
further engagement with North Korea - first by the South Koreans
and potentially with the United States soon thereafter. The frame for
the still-nascent diplomatic path forward is this: The United States
and its allies will not stop imposing steep and escalating costs on
the Kim Jong Un regime until it takes clear steps toward
denuclearization. But the Trump administration is now willing to sit
down and talk with the regime while that pressure campaign is ongoing.


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