Less Is More: Sensible Defense Cuts to Boost Sustainable Security

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.

Less Is More: Sensible Defense Cuts to Boost Sustainable Security

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