Next ISAF war commander speaks up for foreign aid
Published: May 13, 2011
WASHINGTON – Before the next Afghanistan War commander has even stepped foot in country, Lt. Gen. John Allen is doing a bit of pre-deployment preparation in Washington: advocating for USAID.
Allen gave a lengthy interview to Frontlines, the in-house magazine of the U.S. Agency for International Development, singing the humanitarian agency’s praises and importance to the war effort, right as USAID’s budget was up before the House. He joins a long list of Obama’s national security leaders and military brass begging for more State Department/USAID funding, an advocacy message some think might finally be getting through to Congress.
After 10 years of war, the U.S. military and civilian development workers have become "inextricably linked," said Allen, who is deputy commander of Central Command and President Barack Obama’s choice to replace Gen. David Petraeus.
“In many respects, USAID's efforts can do as much – over the long term – to prevent conflict as the deterrent effect of a carrier strike group or a marine expeditionary force,” Allen said.
A line like that was music to the ears of Richard Parker, spokesman for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, which advocates for strong USAID funding and has enlisted 90 three- and four-star generals and admirals supporting more spending on civilian soft power.
Last year, Parker’s group hosted Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who argued that Congress was shortchanging the coming shift in post-war responsibilities from military to civilian in Iraq and Afghanistan. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Petraeus also have carried that flag.
At the time, some worried that Republicans about to take over the House would renew old anti-foreign aid rhetoric and feared more spending cuts. The House budget came in at just 2 percent below the current year's spending levels for international affairs, including USAID and the State Department, but still 20 percent below Obama's $61.7 billion request for fiscal 2012.
Parker said that even conservatives might have turned a page.
“I think there has been a change,” he said. “I think there’s a recognition among all the members in Congress that we need to be engaged in the world, and these issues are important.”
As if convincing Congress wasn’t hard enough, Obama’s military and development leaders have had to convince humanitarian workers, who had protected the traditional battlefield firewall between humanitarian aid and military goals.
“Ten years ago, I’d have said it was cultural,” Allen wrote. “Not today. Yes, the development and military cultures are inherently different, but after a decade of war, where our paths in many ways are now inextricably linked, our institutional cultures are largely in harmony and we draw strength from the relationship. This includes development NGOs as well. We’ve all become quite used to each other.”
Allen called for more USAID workers to train with military units before they deploy, to be linked as they go in seamlessly.
Allen is expected to take over for Petraeus in Kabul in September.
Related:
White House struggling to budge Congress on civilian aid for wars
'Civilian power' at heart of long-awaited State Department/USAID plan
Gates: "Congress is part of the problem" in State, USAID shortfalls
Mixing fighting and food in Afghanistan
