Defense Secretary asks Senator Conrad to support State Department funding

Apr 1st, 2009 12:33 PM EST
By Josh Peck, ONE.org

Excellent story yesterday in the Army Times about Defense Secretary Gates calling Senator Conrad to support State Department funding, which includes the funding we’re asking Conrad not to cut in the International Affairs Budget.

Senator Conrad said “I have never before in my 22 years on the budget committee had the secretary of defense call me to support the budget for the State Department.”

You can read the full article here.

Background on Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Dec 1st, 2008 4:32 PM EST
By Chris.Scott

In his security team rollout this morning, President-elect Obama announced that Robert Gates would be staying on as the Secretary of Defense.

Below are some of Gates’ notable statements about global development.

Gates, Remarks at the 2008 US Global Leadership Campaign Tribute Dinner, 7/15/08

“Broadly speaking, when it comes to America’s engagement with the rest of the world, you probably don’t hear this often from a Secretary of Defense, it is important that the military is – and is clearly seen to be – in a supporting role to civilian agencies.”

“It has become clear that America’s civilian institutions of diplomacy and development have been chronically undermanned and underfunded for far too long – relative to what we spend on the military, and more important, relative to the responsibilities and challenges our nation has around the world.”

“In recent years the lines separating war, peace, diplomacy, and development have become more blurred, and no longer fit the neat organizational charts of the 20th century. All the various elements and stakeholders working in the international arena – military and civilian, government and private – have learned to stretch outside their comfort zone to work together and achieve results.”

Gates, Remarks at the University of Kansas, 11/26/07

“What is clear to me is that there is a need for a dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security – diplomacy, strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and development. Secretary Rice addressed this need in a speech at Georgetown University nearly two years ago. We must focus our energies beyond the guns and steel of the military, beyond just our brave soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen. We must also focus our energies on the other elements of national power that will be so crucial in the coming years.”

-Chris Scott

Sec. Gates Calls for More Foreign Aid Funding

Nov 28th, 2007 1:41 PM EST
By Virginia Simmons

On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called for a “dramatic increase” in funding for diplomacy and foreign aid in the U.S. budget.

From Tuesday’s Washington Post piece:

“In a speech that emphasized the importance of “soft power” to prevent and end conflicts, Gates suggested beefing up the State Department’s foreign affairs budget of $36 billion, even as he acknowledged that Pentagon observers might consider it “blasphemy” for a sitting defense secretary to make such an appeal for another agency…

“We are miserable at communicating to the rest of the world what we are about as a society and culture,” Gates said. “It is just plain embarrassing that al-Qaeda is better at communicating its message on the Internet than America.”

Read the full article here.

The idea that development assistance is a key component to smart foreign policy is not a new one. It has, in fact, garnered increasing attention among high profile Washington foreign policy experts. Earlier this month, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (a bipartisan, nonprofit focused on global security and prosperity) released “the CSIS Commission on Smart Power,” which argues that investment in the global good is integral to America’s ability to tackle global challenges. You can read the full report here.

-Virginia Simmons