|
Article Excerpt
[The following are excerpts of the testimony of General Michael Hagee, former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, presented before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, March 18, 2009.]
You are taking on a most important task, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my views on the need to "strike the appropriate balance" in our national security policy and in provision of foreign assistance.
I believe the balance the Committee is looking for is in the application of "smart power", an approach that ensures that we have strong investments in global development and diplomacy alongside a strong defense. For the United States to be an effective world leader, and to keep our country safe and secure, we must balance all of the tools of our national power, military and non-military.
Mr. Chairman, I think of smart power as the strategic triad of the 21st century--the integrated blend of defense, diplomacy, and development. But this strategic approach will only be effective if all three smart power pillars are coherent, coordinated, and adequately resourced. While the Department of Defense rightfully has received strong Congressional support over the years, funding and support for the State Department and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been more problematic. It is time to address the imbalance, both in strategic emphasis and in funding.
I am here today as a member of the National Security Advisory Council for the Center for U.S. Global Engagement and the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign. I am proud to join with nearly fifty retired senior flag and general officers who share a concern about the future of our country and the need to revitalize America's global leadership. Our allies in this effort include a bipartisan array of some of America's most distinguished civil servants, Congressional leaders, and Cabinet Secretaries. This coalition also includes major American corporations such as Boeing, Caterpillar, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and Pfizer, as well as private voluntary groups such as Mercy Corps, represented here today by my fellow witness, Nancy Lindborg, and hundreds of others such as CARE, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, and World Vision, to name a few.
Despite our diverse backgrounds, we share a common belief that America is under-investing in the array of tools that are vital to our national security, our economic prosperity, and our moral leadership as a nation.
Now some may wonder why a Marine, an infantryman, a warfighter, would advocate for empowering the DOS, USAID, and our civilian-led engagement overseas. I am here because I have been on the front line of America's presence in the world, in some of the most difficult security environments; and I know that the U.S. cannot rely on military power alone to keep us safe from terrorism, infectious disease, economic insecurity, and other global threats that recognize no borders. And I know that the military should not do what is best done by civilians.
Mr. Chairman, I have witnessed many of the tough security and global challenges that burden the world today. I have been in nations that have failed to provide the most basic services to their citizens, in areas where tribal and clan divisions threaten unbelievable violence to the innocent. In Somalia, I saw the consequences of poverty and hunger that result in anger, resentment, and desperation. Some people respond with slow surrender to this hardship, while others look for political conspiracies and/or turn to extremist ideologies or crime to seek blame or retribution for a life of frustration.
When that frustration spills over into armed conflict, the alarms go off; and too often our military is forced into action. We have the strongest and...
|
