The world has changed dramatically since the Cold War when we began our military service, and so have the threats we face. In today’s ever-complex world, we must use all the tools of national security to achieve our objectives, including a strong State Department and other civilian-led agencies.
Development and diplomacy keep us safer by addressing threats in the most dangerous corners of the world and by preventing conflicts before they occur. Our civilian-led programs are particularly critical at a time when we are asking them to take on greater responsibilities with the military drawdown in Iraq that began this past December and the impending transition to a civilian-led mission in Afghanistan.
Ensuring our civilian programs have the resources needed to maintain the hard fought gains of our military is of the utmost importance. To do otherwise endangers the lives of our men and women in uniform. And at only 1.4% of the federal budget, these programs represent one of the most cost effective measures we have to confront the many threats we face today.
Military leaders and national security experts – from Republican and Democratic Administrations alike –have consistently called for robust funding of the State Department, USAID, and other civilian-led agencies. Secretary of Defense Panetta and Former Secretary of Defense Gates have spoken of how vital our civilian tools are to national security and lamented that these programs were not more adequately funded and resourced. Secretary Panetta recently said, “Strong national security is dependent on having a strong diplomatic arm, a strong development arm, a strong intelligence arm, a strong capability to try to have strong economies in the world.” And a recent survey shows that ninety percent of active duty and retired military officers believe that a strong military alone is not enough to protect America and that we must use the tools of development and diplomacy to achieve our national security objectives.
The reality of our nation’s fiscal crisis demands that every area of the federal budget must contribute its fair share to tackling our unsustainable debt. However, we can – and must -- achieve these debt reductions without sacrificing American leadership in the world. Therefore, we urge you to oppose deep and disproportionate cuts to America’s development and diplomacy programs and to support a strong FY13 International Affairs Budget.
Our nation’s security depends upon it.
Sincerely,
Admiral Charles S. Abbot, USN (Ret.) Deputy Commander in Chief, European Command (‘98-‘00)
Vice Admiral Albert J. Baciocco, Jr., USN (Ret.) Director of R, D & Acquisition, Navy (‘83-‘87)
Lt. General Thomas L. Baptiste, USAF (Ret.) Deputy Chairman, NATO (‘04-‘07)
Admiral Frank L. Bowman, USN (Ret.) Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion (‘96-‘04)
General Charles G. Boyd, USAF (Ret.) Deputy Commander in Chief, European Command (‘92-‘95)
General Bryan Doug Brown, USA (Ret.)Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (’03-’07)
Lt. General John G. Castellaw, USMC (Ret.) Aviation Commandant (’05-’07),
Lt. General Daniel W. Christman, USA (Ret.)
Superintendent, United States Military Academy (‘96-‘01)
General Richard A. “Dick” Cody, USA (Ret.)
Vice Chief of Staff, United States Army (‘04-‘08)
Lt. General John B. Conaway, USAF (Ret.)
Chief, National Guard Bureau (‘90-‘93)
General Donald G. Cook, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, Air Education and Training Command, (‘01-’05)
General Bantz J. Craddock, USA (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. European Command and
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (’06-’09)
Lt. General John “Mark” M. Curran, USA (Ret.)
Director Army Capabilities and Integration Center/Deputy Commanding General Futures, Army Training and Doctrine Command (’03-’07)
Admiral Walter F. Doran, USN (Ret.) Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (’02-’05)
Lt. General James M. Dubik, USA (Ret.)
Commander, Multi National Security Transition Command and
NATO Training Mission-Iraq (’07-’08)
Admiral Leon A. Edney, USN (Ret.)
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic/Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command (‘90-‘92)
Admiral William J. Fallon, USN (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Central Command (‘07-’08)
Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, USN (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (‘02-‘05)
General Robert H. Foglesong, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe (’04-’05)
Admiral S. Robert Foley, USN (Ret.)
Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (’82-‘85)
Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr., USA (Ret.)
President, National Defense University (’77-’81)
Lt. General Arthur J. Gregg, USA (Ret.)
Army Deputy Chief of Staff (’79-’81)
Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn, USN (Ret.)
Inspector General, U.S. Navy (‘97-‘00)
General Michael W. Hagee, USMC (Ret.)
Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘03-‘06)
General John W. Handy, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Transportation Command and Commander, Air Mobility Command (‘01-’05)
General Richard E. Hawley, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, Air Combat Command (‘96-‘99)
General Michael V. Hayden, USAF (Ret.)
Director, Central Intelligence Agency (‘06-‘09)
General Richard D. Hearney, USMC (Ret.)
Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘94-‘96)
General Paul V. Hester, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Air Component, Commander for the U.S. Pacific Command Commander (’04-’07)
General James T. Hill, USA (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Southern Command (‘02-‘04)
Admiral James R. Hogg, USN (Ret.)
U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (‘88-‘91)
Lt. General Patrick M. Hughes, USA (Ret.)
Director, Defense Intelligence Agency (’96-’99)
General James L. Jamerson, USAF (Ret.)
Deputy Commander in Chief,
U.S. European Command (‘95-‘98)
Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, USN (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (‘01-‘04)
Admiral Jerome L. Johnson, USN (Ret.)
Vice Chief of Naval Operations (‘90-‘92)
Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN (Ret.)
Commander, US Pacific Command (’07-’09)
Lt. General Richard L. Kelly, USMC (Ret.)
Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics (’02-’05), Vice Director for Logistics, Joint Staff (’00-’02)
Lt. General Claudia J. Kennedy, USA (Ret.)
Deputy Chief of Staff for Army Intelligence (’97-’00)
General Paul J. Kern, USA (Ret.)
Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command (‘01-‘04)
General William F. Kernan, USA (Ret.)
Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic/Commander in Chief, U.S. Joint Forces Command (‘00-‘02)
Lt. General Donald L. Kerrick, USA (Ret.)
Deputy National Security Advisor to The President of the United States (‘00-’01)
General Ronald E. Keys, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, Air Combat Command (‘05–’07)
Admiral Charles R. Larson, USN (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (‘91-‘94)
Vice Admiral Stephen F. Loftus, USN (Ret.)
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Logistics (‘90-‘94)
General John Michael Loh, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, Air Combat Command (‘92-‘95)
Admiral T. Joseph “Joe” Lopez, USN (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (‘96-‘98)
General Lance W. Lord, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Air Force Space Command (’02-‘06)
Lt. General James J. Lovelace, USA (Ret.)
Commanding General, U.S. Army Central Command (’07-’09)
Admiral James M. Loy, USCG (Ret.)
Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard (‘98-‘02)
General Robert Magnus, USMC (Ret.)
Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (’05-’08)
Lt. General Dennis McCarthy, USMC (Ret.)
Commander, Marine Forces Reserve (01-05)
Vice Admiral Justin “Dan” D. McCarthy, SC, USN (Ret.)
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Readiness, and Logistics (’04-’07)
Lt. General Frederick McCorkle, USMC (Ret.)
Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Headquarters (’98-’01)
General Dan K. McNeill, USA (Ret.)
Commander, International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan ('07-'08)
Lt. General Paul T. Mikolashek, USA (Ret.)
Inspector General, U.S. Army/Commanding General of the
Third U.S. Army Forces Central Command (’00-‘02)
Vice Admiral John G. Morgan, Jr., USN (Ret.)
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information, Plans and Strategy (’04-’08)
Admiral Robert J. Natter, USN (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet/Commander,
Fleet Forces Command (’00 –’03)
General William L. Nyland, USMC (Ret.)
Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘02–‘05)
Lt. General Tad J. Oelstrom, USAF (Ret.)
Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy (‘97-‘00)
Lt. General H.P. “Pete” Osman, USMC (Ret.)
Commanding General II MEF (’02-’04)
Lt. General Jeffrey W. Oster, USMC (Ret.)
Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq (2004); Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, Heaquarters Marine Corps (ended in ’98)
Lt. General Charles P. Otstott, USA (Ret.)
Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee (‘90-‘92)
Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, USN (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (‘96-‘99)
Lt. General Harry D. Raduege, Jr., USAF (Ret.)
Director, Defense Information Systems Agency (’00-’05); Commander,
Joint Task Force for Global Network Operations (‘04-‘05)
Vice Admiral Norman W. Ray, USN (Ret.)
Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee (‘92-‘95)
General Victor “Gene” E. Renuart, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command (’07-’10)
General Robert W. RisCassi, USA (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/ Commander in Chief, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command (‘90-‘93)
Vice Admiral Ronald A. Route, USN (Ret.)
Naval Inspector General (’04-’07)
President, Naval War College (’03-’04)
Lt. General John B. Sams, Jr., USAF (Ret.)
Commander, 15th Air Force ('98-'99)
General Peter J. Schoomaker, USA (Ret.)
Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (‘03-‘07)
Lt. General Norman R. Seip, USAF (Ret.)
Commander, 12th Air Force/Air Forces Southern (’06-’09)
General Henry H. Shelton, USA (Ret.)
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (‘97-‘01)
Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Jr., USN (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/ Com-mander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (‘94-’96)
Admiral William D. Smith, USN (Ret.)
U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (‘91-‘93)
Lt. General James N. Soligan, USAF (Ret.)
Deputy Chief of Staff for Transformation,
Allied Command Transformation (’06-’10)
Vice Admiral William D. Sullivan, USN (Ret.) U.S. Military Representative to NATO Military Committee (’06-’09)
Admiral Henry G. Ulrich, USN (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/ Commander,
Joint Forces Command Naples (’05-’08)
General Charles F. Wald, USAF (Ret.)
Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command (‘02-‘06)
General Charles E. Wilhelm, USMC (Ret.)
Commander, U.S. Southern Command (‘97-‘00)
General Michael J. Williams, USMC (Ret.)
Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘00-’02)
General Johnnie E. Wilson, USA (Ret.)
Commanding General, U.S. Army Material Command (’96-’99)
General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command (’97 -00)
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