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8/9/2019 Less Is More: Sensible Defense Cuts to Boost Sustainable Security
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Less Is More
Sensible Deense Cuts to Boost Sustainable Security
John Norris and Andrew Sweet June 2010
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Less Is MoreSensible Deense Cuts to Boost Sustainable Security
John Norris and Andrew Sweet June 2010
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Introduction and summary
I we are o mee he myriad challenges around he world in he coming decades,
argues Secreary o Deense Rober Gaes, hen our counry mus srenghen
oher imporan elemens o naional power boh insiuionally and nancially,
and creae he capabiliy o inegrae and apply all o he elemens o naional
power o problems and challenges abroad. Gaess experience leading our armed
orces under wo presidens underscores he imporance o no relying solely on
our unquesioned miliary migh o proec our shores and naional securiy iner-
ess around he globe. Insead, Gaes mainains, we need o adop he concep osusainable securiya sraegy ha embraces he need o slim deense spending,
bringing our own scal house in order while invesing in nonmiliary economic
and social developmen programs abroad o comba he condiions ha breed
povery and poliical insabiliy.
Our curren inernaional posure is increasingly unsusainable. Te reasons?
Firs, he Unied Saes is simply spending oo much coninuing o gh wars in
Aghanisan and Iraq while oal deense spending over he pas decade grew in
an exponenial and undisciplined ashion. Second, he relaionship beween our
key oreign policy insiuions (in deense, diplomacy, and economic and social
developmen programs abroad) became wildly skewed in avor o deense a he
expense o nonmiliary uncions.
Tis muscle-bound ye clumsy combinaion o asses leaves America poorly
posiioned o deal wih he hreas and opporuniies we ace as a naion around
he globe oday and in he uure. Resoring a sense o balance and susainabiliy
o our inernaional posure is absoluely essenial. Te upsho: We need o spend
less money overall on deense weaponry while invesing a porion o hose savings
in susainable securiy iniiaives ha simulaneously proec our naional securiyand promoe human and collecive securiy.
Shaping his more balanced approach will require sensible cus in deense spend-
ing and concurren bu smaller sraegic invesmens in susainable securiy. Tis
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will be challenging amid a rising chorus o concern in Congress and rom he
general public abou decis and he naional deb. Tis years deci is expeced
o exceed $1.5 rillion, over 10 percen o our naions gross domesic produc
he highes deci level since World War II. Ye we pay surprisingly litle atenion
o he saggering cos o our curren deense posure. U.S. deense spending has
more han doubled since 2002, and he nearly hree-quarers o a rillion dollarsha he Unied Saes is now spending annually on deense is he highes in real
erms since General Dwigh D. Eisenhower le occupied Germany in he wake o
World War II.
Miliary coss coninue o consiue more han 50 percen o all ederal discre-
ionary spending.1 Greaer and greaer sacrices will have o be made in domesic
and inernaional prioriies i more isn done o sraegically reduce deense
spending. No one quesions he need o gh errorism and proec our counry.
Tas precisely why i is so imporan or us o develop an inernaional posure
ha is sensible, susainable, and eecive in achieving is core goals.
Bringing deense spending under conrol will clearly enhance he overall healh o
our economy and hus our overarching inuence around he globe. Bu doing so
wihou invesing some o hose savings in social and economic developmen and
diplomacy abroad would be unwise. Indeed, Secreary Gaes consisenly noes ha
we need o srenghen U.S. civilian oreign policy and developmen insiuions
i we wan o more eecively promoe lasing sabiliy and deend our ineress
around he globe. And he coninually poins ou in public speeches, inerviews, and
congressional esimony ha hese insiuions currenly lack he capabiliies and
unding o be eecive policy parners in promoing our ineress inernaionally.
Te mismach is clear in Iraq and Aghanisan oday. Tere is a massive capabiliies
gap beween he Deparmen o Deense and is civilian counerpars, he Sae
Deparmen and he Unied Saes Agency or Inernaional Developmen, or
USAID, requiring he miliary o assume muliple civilian uncions. Whas more,
ha civilian experise will be needed even more as he U.S. miliary complees is
wihdrawal rom Iraq over he nex year and a hal and begins is expeced draw-
down o orces in Aghanisan in July 2011. Te U.S. governmens civilian-led
developmen and sabilizaion eors in boh counries will need o be srengh-ened and empowered.
Tere are muliple problems in having he U.S. miliary carry ou he roles radi-
ionally and beter conduced by he Sae Deparmen and USAID. Firs, our men
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and women in uniorm lack he specic experise in diplomacy and developmen
needed o carry ou hese jobs eecively. USAID learned he business o develop-
men he hard wayhrough years o experimenaion and periodic ailure, and
by building he skills o is personnel. In conras, he U.S. miliary sees diplomacy
and developmen aid primarily as useul ools or helping o reach heir dominan
goals o pacicaion and sabilizaion. Someimes ha works amid acive ghing,bu susainable securiy over he long erm needs o be undamenally owned by
local communiies i i is o be successulsomehing developmen expers are
rained o accomplish.
Second, he work o diplomacy and developmen is ulimaely a disracion rom he
U.S. miliarys core missions. Our roops mus be ree o pursue heir primary unc-
ions. Tis is exacly why Secreary Gaes and ohers are so eager o inves in greaer
capaciy or civilian insiuions carrying ou developmen and diplomacy. Tird,
using he U.S. miliary o carry ou developmen and diplomacy is oen exorbianly
expensive, in many insances cosing wice as much as using USAID and regulardevelopmen parners. Finally, he heavy involvemen o our miliary orces in devel-
opmen and diplomacy has oen blurred he line beween miliary and nonmiliary
acors, causing civilians o increasingly be seen as arges or miliary oes.
Iniiaing his more balanced approach o our naional securiy needs can and
should begin his year. Wih he suppor o Secreary Gaes, he Naional Securiy
Council, he Sae Deparmen, and key voices in Congress, he Obama adminis-
raion is in a unique posiion o srenghen is civilian oreign policy insiuions
o resore a greaer sense o balance among he agencies ha play such a key role
in advancing our ineress around he globe.
Te eor will come down o money. A look ino he budges o he Deparmen o
Deense and he civilian Inernaional Aairs agencies is elling. Te DoDs scal
year 2011 budge reques oals $708.2 billion. Te inernaional aairs budge
reques or he same period, reecing he sum o aciviies o he Sae Deparmen,
USAID, and a number o oher smaller eniies, was $58.5 billion8 percen o he
oal reques rom he Deparmen o Deense.
Tis vas gap is emblemaic o he imbalances in his arena in he proposedFY 2011 ederal budge, ye here are some posiive developmens in he la-
es inernaional aairs reques o help reverse wha Secreary Gaes calls he
creeping miliarizaion o some aspecs o American oreign policy. Te 2010
Supplemenal Appropriaions Ac recommends $650 million be used o ransiion
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Iraqi police raining rom he Deparmen o Deense o he Sae Deparmen.2
Furher, DoDs so-called 1207 unds, which suppor sabilizaion and reconsruc-
ion, will be replaced by he Sae Deparmens Complex Crises Fund.3 Tis
und will arge counries or regions ha demonsrae a high or escalaing risk
o conic or insabiliy, or an unanicipaed opporuniy or progress in a newly-
emerging or ragile democracy.4
Finally, he Pakisani Counerinsurgency Capabiliies Fund, designed o help he
Pakisan governmen build is capaciy o conduc counerinsurgency operaions,
will move rom he Deparmen o Deense o he Sae Deparmen. Te FY
2011 reques o $1.2 billion or his und exceeds he FY 2009 unding level by
$500 million.5
Tese are posiive seps, bu in many ways hey remain a he margins. ogeher,
unding or he Sae Deparmen and USAID represens jus 1.4 percen o he
naional budge and less han 7 percen o wha he Unied Saes spends on issuesha can broadly be considered naional securiy (see able).6
Tis paper idenies approximaely $40 billion ha could be cu rom he
Deparmen o Deense budge wihou undercuting our naional securiy. We
propose ha $30 billion be used oward deci reducion. In December las year, he
Cener or American Progress proposed 10 cus o curren deense spending oaling
$39.3 billionhe basis o our proposed $40 billion reducion in deense spending.7
Te remaining $10 billion could be bes ranserred o USAID, an agency ha is
essenial o prevening and managing conics in he 21s cenury. ogeher, hese
wo seps would help reduce overall miliary spending while bolsering civilian
developmen work in vial ways. Tis $10 billion would be ranserred over a
period o hree years, represening an average annual boos o roughly 18 percen
o he USAID budge.8
In addiion, we argue or ongoing budge reorms currenly underway wihin
he U.S. governmen o develop a unied naional securiy budge encompassing
deense, diplomacy, and developmen. In previewing he Obama adminisraions
naional securiy sraegy, Secreary o Sae Hillary Clinon said, We cannolook a a deense budge, a Sae Deparmen budge, and a USAID budge wih-
ou deense overwhelming he combined eors o he oher wo, and wihou
us alling back ino he old sovepipes ha I hink are no longer relevan or he
challenges o oday.
The Top 20
Top 20 countries beneittin
rom USAID assistance (ob
program unds) or FY 200
Country FY 2
1 Aghanistan 1,459,
2 Pakistan 1,084,
3 West Bank/Gaza 798,4
4 Egypt 551,2
5 Haiti 224,2
6 Kenya 515,2
7 Jordan 515,7
8 Sudan 467,9
9 Georgia 331,3
10 Iraq 443,5
11 Ethiopia 427,7
12 South Arica 324,3
13 Nigeria 290,7
14 Uganda 273,1
15 Tanzania 204,3
16 Colombia 225,8
17 Indonesia 177,1
18 Zambia 182,1
19 Mozambique 178,0
20 Liberia 138,8
Note: This does not include funds from mi
assistance, which would subtantially increnumbers for countries such as Israel, EgypColombia, and Iraq.
Source: U.S. Agency for International Deve
available at http://www.usaid.gov/policy/money/.
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In he pages ha ollow, we deail how his susainable securiy approach would
improve our naional securiy and our ederal budge process. We will rs examine
he curren sae o USAID and is programs. We will hen recommend hree ways
o improve he agencys capabiliies so ha a susainable securiy sraegy will:
Creae greaer economic prosperiy and rading opporuniies in hedeveloping world Help preven conics and insabiliy in roubled developing naions Improve he healh and well-being o people around he globe
Make no misakehese goals are as imporan o our naional securiy as our
armed orces. As we will demonsrae, reorms o our deense spending and devel-
opmen aid agencies and programs should be underaken now so ha susainable
securiy becomes he operaing sraegy in our inernaional relaions wih he
developing world.
Te ime is ripe or he Unied Saes o ake a undamenally dieren approach o
he world, and i is a rare momen when he Unied Saes can spend less money
on improving our naional securiy and advance he saey and well-being o mil-
lions o individuals while promoing shared ineress around he globe.
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USAID at the crossroads
Te U.S. Agency or Inernaional Developmen has experienced numerous ups
and downs over he pas 50 years, a imes becoming an easy lighning rod or
criicism rom he American public and he press. Indeed, oreign assisance pro-
grams remain one o he mos conroversial and leas undersood areas o public
policy. Public opinion polls consisenly demonsrae ha Americans believe
around 20 percen o he ederal budge is spen on oreign aid, when in ac he
amoun spen is less han one-enh o ha level.9
Mos credible senior miliary ofcials and diplomas eel ha we inves oo litle in
developmen assisance, no oo much, given he posiive impac hese programs
have on our own long-erm well-being by creaing greaer economic prosperiy
and rading opporuniies in he developing world, helping o preven conics
and insabiliy in roubled developing naions, and undamenally improving he
healh and well-being o people around he globe.
Following a join leter by Secreary Clinon and Secreary Gaes proesing a
proposed $4 billion cu o diplomacy and developmen, Adm. Michael Mullen,
chairman o he Join Chies o Sa, echoed heir senimen in a separae leter o
he House and Senae leadership. Adm. Mullen wries, We are living in imes ha
require an inegraed naional securiy program wih budges ha und he ull
specrum o naional securiy eors, including vially imporan pre-conic and
pos-conic civilian sabilizaion programs.
Tis is no o say ha USAID is wihou problems or challenges. Dieren presi-
dens approached developmen assisance wih very dieren visions, and he
leadership o he agency isel has varied sarkly in qualiy since is creaion in 1961.
oday, hough, by almos any accouning he agency lacks much o he in-housecapabiliies needed o eecively guide developmen policy as a sraegic prioriy.
USAIDs permanen sa is now roughly 3,000, down sharply rom a high-waer
mark o 15,000 during he Vienam War. No one would sugges ha i is desirable
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o replicae he Vienam-era approach o developmen, which was characerized by
a op-down approach wih litle consideraion or he realiies on he ground. Bu
wha is equally problemaic is ha USAIDs sa has now shrunk so much ha he
agency serves as a conracing mechanism whose programs are implemened largely
by nongovernmenal organizaions and or-pro conracors. Tas no way o run a
governmen agency, especially one so crucial o our long-erm naional securiy.
During a January 2010 lecure a he Cener or Global Developmen, Secreary
Clinon said, I is pas ime o rebuild USAID ino he worlds premier develop-
men agency. Indeed, he agencys servicesrom is work promoing good gov-
ernance in edgling democracies and counries in poliical ransiion o is eors
prevening man-made disasers and lessening he impac o naural disasersare
increasingly in demand. Unorunaely, USAID is in need o ar greaer resources
o underake he aciviies demanded o i. Secreary Gaes and Secreary Clinon
have kind words or he imporance o developmen assisance, bu USAID re-
quenly loses in ineragency ur batles as more and more o is core responsibili-ies are carved o o oher agencies.
Troughou his presidenial campaign, hen-Sen. Barack Obama called or a dou-
bling o oreign assisance o help cu global povery by 2015. Tis level o unding
may no longer be easible given he ederal spending required o li he Unied
Saes ou o is curren economic crisis and he oen acrimonious poliical envi-
ronmen in Washingon, bu he addiional provision o $10 billion in USAIDs
budge alongside a $40 billion reducion in deense spending would allow or
major improvemens in hree key areas:
Resoring a proessional workorce Srenghening is undamenal developmen assisance capaciy Improving he agencys abiliy o preven and respond o disasers
Les consider each o hese areas o improvemen in more deail.
Rebuilding USAIDs professional workforce capacity
Few U.S. miliary or civilian developmen expers quesion he need or consid-
erable invesmens in USAIDs proessional capaciy o lead our naions eors
o preven global healh pandemics, promoe global ood securiy, and sup-
por broad-based economic developmen around he globe. Te Developmen
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Leadership Iniiaive, or DLI, which was launched in 2007, is a sep in he righ
direcion oward rebuilding USAIDs workorce.
DLI is a our-year iniiaive ha seeks o double he size o USAIDs Foreign
Service ofcer corps. esiying beore Congress in February 2009, ormer
USAID Depuy Adminisraor James Kunder called DLI he single highesprioriy a he agency. He wen on o explain how having jus over 1,000 Foreign
Service ofcers spread hroughou 85 counries undamenally undercus our
naions abiliy o address he underlying causes o povery and insabiliy.
USAIDs Human Capial Sraegic Plan or FY 2009 o FY 2013 oulines he
agencys sraegic objecives. I calls or:
A larger workorce wih appropriae skill ses o mee he increasing demands
o he inernaional communiy Eors o beter develop curren alen and inves in he curren and uure
workorce Pracical seps o reain he curren workorce
Key o any meaningul modernizaion eor is revamping USAIDs personnel
sysem. I is increasingly rare or individuals o join he Foreign Service as a junior
ofcer and say unil reiremen, ye he Foreign Service sysem has been slow o
recognize his realiy o he modern workplace and adap accordingly. As is he
case wih oher occupaions, Americans ineresed in joining he Foreign Service
oday are more prone o explore various, oen relaed career pahs. And a wide
range o opions exiss or developmen-oriened individuals, including non-
governmenal organizaions, philanhropies, developmen banks, inernaional
developmen insiuions, and micronance organizaions. I USAID is ocused
on srenghening he qualiy and quaniy o is workorce, i mus hire, recrui,
and reain based on he realiies o he modern American workorce.
wo specic racks should be considered in order o make USAIDs workorce
more exible. Te rs is or Foreign Service ofcers o have he opion o move
beween U.S. civil service agencies and he Foreign Service abroad and vice versa.
Some ofcers wih young amilies oen preer o be based in he Unied Saes.Ohers oen preer o reurn home when heir children ener heir high school
years. Te opion o move beween he civil service and he Foreign Service
would incenivize hese dedicaed public service employees o remain available o
USAID hroughou heir careers.
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Secondly, he USAID personnel sysem needs o be more exible in allowing
mid-level developmen proessionals o join he Foreign Service. Te agency needs
seasoned developmen proessionals wih specic skills linked o curren prioriies
such as healh and ood securiy as well as program implemenaion in conic areas
such as Aghanisan and Pakisan. Tese ypes o developmen proessionals have
honed heir skills hrough decades o work around he world. Tey should nd henecessary incenives o join he Foreign Service and urn USAID ino wha i should
behe worlds premier developmen agency. More Americans should have he
opporuniy o conribue o governmen service wihou making a lielong commi-
men o he Foreign Service.
In shor, diversiy o experience should be reaed by governmen personnel
sysems as a srengh, no a weakness.
In addiion o is essenial work in he ronline saes o Iraq, Aghanisan, and
Pakisan, USAID will play a leading role in promoing he argeed invesmenshighlighed in he recenly submited FY 2011 Inernaional Aairs Budge reques.
Te rs wo o hese invesmensood securiy and global healhwill require
much greaer capaciy a USAID. Te budge requess $3.5 billion over hree years
o improve global ood securiy. Ye USAID has jus 130 agriculural specialiss o
implemen hese programs. Te agency would also need grealy expanded capaciy
in erms o expers on nuriion and livelihoods o eecively advance ood securiy
around he globe.
Tese moves by he Obama adminisraion are designed o reverse a poor decision
made by he previous adminisraion in January 2006, when he Sae Deparmen
launched a series o oreign assisance reorms known as he F process. Tis
process creaed a new posiion a he Sae Deparmen in which he USAID
adminisraor was dual-hated as he direcor o oreign assisance. A new Ofce
o Foreign Assisance was also creaed known as he F bureau. Te F process no
only sripped USAIDs direc relaionship o he Ofce o Managemen and Budge,
bu also mean ha USAIDs budge was prepared by he Sae Deparmen. Te F
process also ook away USAIDs Policy and Program Coordinaion bureau (which
ran sraegic planning and coordinaion wih bilaeral and mulilaeral donors) and
placed i in he Sae Deparmen. Tese moves represened a major loss o capaciyand auonomy or USAID because is eld missions relied heavily on headquarers
or policy guidance and bes pracices in carrying ou heir duies.
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USAID Adminisraor Rajiv Shah announced in May 2010 he esablishmen o
his agencys Policy Planning and Learning, or PPL bureau, a logical successor o
he Policy Planning and Coordinaion bureau. Tis is a useul sep orward in re-
esablishing more proessional workorce capaciy a USAID because he resora-
ion o a policy planning capabiliy will allow he agency o be more proacive in
geting ou ahead o crises and more rmly esablishing developmen prioriies.
A srong policy planning ofce will be able o help beter coordinae he muliude
o global developmen programs spread ou across more han 20 governmen
agencies and deparmens and could hopeully make imporan conribuions
o he preparaion o a naional sraegy or global developmen by he Obama
adminisraion. In is curren orm, PPL is headed by an assisan o he adminis-
raor o USAID. We recommend ha Congress work wih USAID o make his
posiion a Senae-conrmable assisan adminisraor posiion.
Tese seps do no obviae he need or reorm o he Foreign Assisance Ac oadd coherency o U.S. developmen programswhich is currenly underway in
Congressbecause eecive policy planning coninues o be hampered by he
prolieraion o developmen assisance goals, regulaions, guidelines, and ear-
marks.10 For he Obama adminisraion o eecively insiue USAID programs
he agency needs o do ewer hings and do hem beter.
We recommend ha $4 billion over hree years be dedicaed o expanding
USAIDs sa wih a paricular emphasis on atracing mid-level ofcers wih
skills in ood securiy, economic developmen, basic educaion, global healh, and
disaser prevenion. Eors should also be expanded o atrac and reain reurn-
ing Peace Corps voluneers given heir proven experise and commimen o many
o hese areas. In he 1960s, he Peace Corps was seen as a mission wih genuine
purpose, reecing a undamenal willingness by he American people o improve
he world around hem. I seemed naural or ormer Peace Corps voluneers o
coninue wih public service upon heir reurn. Ta coherence o vision has been
los in he minds and imaginaions o many young Americans oday. Our curren
inernaional aid program would grealy bene rom a new inusion o imagina-
ion, boldness, and common purpose.
Eors should also be made o shoren and oherwise sreamline he hiring pro-
cess or USAIDs Foreign Service ofcers given ha many atracive candidaes
are deerred by he lengh and hassle o he ofcial recruimen process, which
remains cumbersome.
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Strengthening fundamental development assistance
In he wake o he Aghanisan and Iraq wars, USAID is increasingly engaged in
sabilizaion aciviies. Te FY 2011 budge reques or Aghanisan, Iraq, and
Pakisan alone is $5.2 billion, almos $1.6 billion more han he las years baseline
appropriaion or hese hree counries.11
Tis had led some developmen proessionals o make a disincion beween
undamenal and insrumenal assisance. Fundamenal assisance seeks o
improve he lives o beneciaries as an end in and o isel and is bes conduced in
counries where leadership and local communiies are commited o reorm and
developmen (see box). Insrumenal assisance, in conras, sees aid o bene-
South Sudan will vote in an independence reerendum in January
2011. All signs point to South Sudan separating rom Sudan and the
abusive government in Khartoum. The likely secession vote will split
Aricas largest country in twosparking major political, security, and
economic ramications throughout the region. There is also consider-
able danger that the division o Sudan into two successor states could
be accompanied by wholesale violence.
But even i South Sudan is allowed to depart peaceully, it is poorly
positioned to succeed as a modern state without major assistance.
South Sudan is the size o France, yet it has only about 20 miles o
paved roads. Its institutional capacity to govern itsel and care or its
citizens is badly limited. Its population currently aces some o the
highest malnutrition rates in the world. And there is little in the way
o modern livelihoods other than in the oil sector.
Some Americans will undoubtedly question the need to provide
considerable assistance to a newly independent South Sudan, but the
alternative is grim. I South Sudan were to alter and become a ailed
state or become otherwise mired in prolonged conict, the United
States and its allies would end up spending billions o dollars inhumanitarian assistance simply to respond with liesaving assistance.
Indeed, the international community spent tens o billions o dollars
on humanitarian aid in South Sudan during the earlier two-decade-
long conict between Northern and Southern Sudan.
In addition, as we have seen in both Aghanistan and Somalia,
rorists and organized crime networks nd ailed states an easy
rom which to operate, directly threatening U.S. interests and li
Those threats ultimately lead the United States to spend tens o
lions o dollars more on deense spending and budgets. Thus w
that relatively modest investments in development assistance a
crisis prevention assist the United States in embracing a much
sustainable approach to security over time.
Assistance to a newly independent South Sudan will need to b
conditioned on the adoption o basic norms with regards to hu
rights and democracy in South Sudan. Giving the new governm
South Sudan a blank check is no way to ensure development th
actually benet the population and promote stability and secu
These programs should be disbursed rapidly, creating employme
the local level and encouraging reconciliation in communities th
oten been torn asunder by decades o conict and chronic unde
velopment. It will be vital or the United States to have its own de
ment and transition experts on the ground. While multilateral n
institutions such as the World Bank will surely pledge large sumsassist South Sudan, the World Bank has a horrible record in actua
ting programs implemented quickly and efectively in such high-
transitions. This is exactly where dedicated, U.S. civilian-led deve
ment assistance can have an immediate and measureable impac
Fundamental assistance to Sudan
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ciaries as a means o an end, where he acual goal is a securiy objecive ha is
abeted hrough developmen or humaniarian assisance. Insrumenal assisance
is oen carried ou in conjuncion wih hos governmens ha are engaged in, or
emerging rom, inensive conics and upheaval and whose capaciy and commi-
men o developmen may be in quesion.
Fundamenal developmen assisance is and should remain USAIDs core unc-
ion. I is imporan, a he same ime, ha he agency remain involved in insru-
menal assisance and urher explore is comparaive insiuional srengh in
operaing in conic environmens. Boh ypes o assisance are designed o
ulimaely replace USAIDs programs wih ones drivenand undedby hos
counry governmens and local insiuions, alhough his goal is more easily
accomplished wih undamenal raher han insrumenal assisance.
Fundamenal assisance, in is own righ, has a prevenaive naure ha looks o
srenghen insiuions and civil sociey around he world. Programs rom Peru oGhana and Boswana o Indonesia have helped improve sandards o living while
leaving srucures behind ha are necessary or hose counries susained growh.
Tese developmen programs have helped make counries more prosperous and
sable, creaing beter economic parners and allies or he Unied Saes. I is
essenial ha USAID coninue o promoe and urher hone is experise in unda-
menal assisance. We recommend ha $3 billion over hree years be devoed o
srenghening his capaciy a USAID.
Disaster preparedness
Te Unied Saes coninues o play a key role as he mos imporan rs responder
in dealing wih major humaniarian crises around he globe, such as he recen
earhquake in Haii and he major sunami ha hi Asia in 2004. USAIDs Ofce o
Foreign Disaser Assisance, or OFDA, was creaed in 1964 and has long been rec-
ognized as a world leader in boh responding o major emergencies and providing
raining and assisance o developing naions o help monior and preven naural
disasers. OFDA responded o 80 disasers aecing more han 202 million people
in 62 counries in scal year 2008.
A large par o why OFDA is so successul and highly regarded is because i
works well wih a wide range o nonpro organizaions, inernaional economic
and humaniarian aid insiuions, local groups, and oher branches o he U.S.
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governmen. While many associae OFDA exclusively wih dealing wih naural
disasers such as earhquakes and oods, responding o complex emergencies
creaed by ongoing conics, displacemen, and social collapse has been a major
par o is porolio.
Te rs challenge is improving disaser miigaion and prevenion while makingposcrisis ransiion eors more eecive and durable. Boh conic preven-
ion and poscrisis ransiion programs end o be underunded in all bu he
mos high-prole and atenion-grabbing o insances, such as Haii, Iraq, and
Aghanisan. Hopeully, ongoing discussions beween Congress and he Obama
adminisraion will also consider creaing dedicaed, re-walled accouns or hese
aciviies. Tis would undamenally change he way ha unding currenly works.
USAID essenially seals unding rom is oher imporan programs o provide
humaniarian relie and hen hopes he unding is laer backlled by Congress
hrough supplemenal appropriaions.
Tis makes logical programming exremely challenging. USAID oen ends up
borrowing rom one se o liesaving aciviies o und anoher se o liesaving
aciviies. Tis leads o a sysem where unds allocaed or relie in disaser-prone
counries are sripped away o pay or he crisis o he day. Whas more, his
makes i exceedingly difcul or USAID o avoid simply being almos exclusively
ocused on he laes unexpeced crisis a he expense o oher major bu less high-
prole crises or valuable work in helping counries preven crises hrough eors
o develop improved early warning sysems and srenghened local capaciies.
Te value o prevenion work can be seen powerully in he impac o he earh-
quakes in Haii and Chile. In Chile, early warning sysems were in place, build-
ing consrucion sandards were ar higher, and he subsequen loss o lie and
propery was a racion o ha in Haii. Similarly, sysems such as he USAID-
unded Famine Early Warning Sysems Nework provide crucial early warning and
vulnerabiliy inormaion on emerging and evolving ood securiy issues. Tis daa
is used o aid decision makers in heir eors o miigae ood insecuriy and is ar
cheaper han responding o a disaser aer i occurs. Te Famine Early Warning
Sysems Nework has ceners all around he globe, including ones in Guaemala,
Niger, Haii, Yemen, and Aghanisan, and represens a major sep orward inprevening or lessening he impacs o naural disasers.
USAIDs disaser-response capaciy is also chronically underunded, even hough
we know we will see major naural and man-made disasers every single year. In
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pracice, his leads o many disrupions in USAIDs aciviies and o considerable
gamesmanship a he momen a crisis his as agencies, ofces, and deparmens
ry o proec heir respecive budge botom lines raher han purely ocusing
on he work o disaser response. We recommend ha a coningency und o $1
billion annually be esablished o allow or he mos eecive immediae response
o major humaniarian disasers as hey occur and o beter und much-neededaciviies aimed a prevenion around he globe.
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Conclusion
Te Obama adminisraion has a hisoric opporuniy o recalibrae and rebalance
Americas approach o he world and advance he cause o susainable securiy. By
invesing greaer amouns in developmen assisance and crisis prevenion while
beginning o curb overall deense spending, he adminisraion can beter proec
he American people, enhance he saey and well-being o millions in he devel-
oping world, and promoe our shared ineress in a more sable, peaceul, and
prosperous inernaional communiy.
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Endnotes
1 Mica li a Mica eig, Iaciv: Wa is n-ds disciay Spig? C Amica Pgss,Mac 24, 2010, avaiab a p://www.amicapgss.g/issus/2010/03/isciay_spig_iaciv.m.
2 Ai Bssk, Iaqi Pic taiig Mvs U.S. Sadp, Defense News, May 21, 2010, avaiab a p://www.sws.cm/sy.pp?i=4626605.
3 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, section 1207, h.rp. 1815, 109 Cg.
4 Ui Sas dpam Sa, Executive Budget Summary:Function 150 and Other International Programs (dpam Sa, 2010).
5 Aw J. Sapi, tsimy b hus Subcmmi Sa, Fig opais, a ra Pgams, Api 14, 2010,avaiab a p://www.sa.gv//pm/s/m/141502.m.
6 J Ky, opig rmaks, haig U.S. Sa Cmmi Fig rais, Fig Picy Piiis i FY11Iaia Afais Bug, Fbuay 24, 2010, avaiab a p://ig.sa.gv/aigs/aig/?i=b56628-baa5-bb10-29c2-0b87c72a7.
7 lawc Kb, Sa dugga, laua Cy, a Jacb Sks,Payig tp escaai i Agaisa (Wasig:
C Amica Pgss, 2009), avaiab a p://www.amicapgss.g/issus/2009/12/agaisa_uig.m.
8 t FY2011 bug quss $18.8 bii USAId aciviis. tisicus sm pgams c-maag wi Sa dpam.
9 WPubicopii.g, Amicas Fig Ai aW hug, Fbuay 2, 2001, avaiab a p://www.wpubicpii.g/pipa/aics/bvpmaia/135.pp.
10 Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 , S. 1524,111 Cg.
11 lay nws, USAId FY2011 Bug Sks Baac SagicPiiis a Gba Iiiaivs, Bug Isig bg, Api 6, 2010,avaiab a p://bugisig.wpss.cm/2010/04/06/usai-y2011-bug-sks--baac-sagic-piiis-a-gba-iiiaivs/.
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About the authors
John Norris is he Execuive Direcor o he Susainable Securiy and Peacebuilding
Iniiaive a he Cener or American Progress. He has served in a number o senior
roles in governmen, inernaional insiuions, and nonpros. John previously
served as he Execuive Direcor o he Enough Projec, an advocacy organizaioncommited o prevening war crimes around he globe. John was he chie o polii-
cal aairs or he Unied Naions Mission in Nepal as ha counry ried o emerge
rom a decade-long war. Previously, John served as he Washingon chie o sa or
he Inernaional Crisis Group, conducing exensive eld work and senior-level
advocacy or resolving conics in Souh Asia, Arica, and he Balkans.
Earlier in his career, John served as he direcor o communicaions or U.S. Depuy
Secreary o Sae Srobe albot. He also worked as a speechwrier and eld disas-
er exper a he U.S. Agency or Inernaional Developmen. John is he auhor o
several books, including heDisaster Gypsies, a memoir o his work in he eld oemergency relie, and Collision Course: NATO, Russia and Kosovo.
John has published commenary in he Washington Post,Los Angeles Times, Wall
Street Journal, and elsewhere. He has a graduae degree in public adminisraion.
Andrew Sweet is a Research Associae a American Progress. From 2003 hrough
2005, Andrew was a Peace Corps voluneer in ogo, Wes Arica, where he
worked wih a number o rural v illages in naural resource managemen. Andrew
has raveled exensively hroughou pars o Norh, Souh, Eas, and Wes Arica,
he Middle Eas, and Europe. He has done wo sins in Geneva working or
Inerpeace, an inernaional peacebuilding nongovernmen organizaion.
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The Center or American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute
dedicated to promoting a strong, just and ree America that ensures opportunity
or all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to
these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies relect these values.
We work to ind progressive and pragmatic solutions to signiicant domestic and
international problems and develop policy proposals that oster a government that
is o the people, by the people, and or the people.