POLITICO: Why foreign aid is critical to U.S. national security
Michael Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011, and James Jones, former commandant of the Marine Corps and supreme allied commander-Europe from 2003 to 2006

“…[O]ur experiences … taught us that not all foreign crises are solved on the battlefield … That’s why we support a robust development budget to advance our national security objectives — and we are not alone in this belief. This week, we will join 14 other experienced former four-star generals and admirals in submitting testimony to Congress that military power alone cannot prevent radicalization, nor can it, by itself, prevent despair from turning to anger and increasing outbursts of violence and instability. … [D]evelopment aid is critical to America’s national security. … Foreign assistance should be respected — and budgeted — as an investment in the enhancement of stability in the world’s most vulnerable places … American security is advanced by the development of stable nations that are making progress on social development, economic growth, and good governance; by countries that enforce the rule of law and invest in the health and education of their own people. … Cutting the International Affairs budget will hurt our country’s ability to stop new conflicts from forming, and will place our interests, values, and the lives of our men and women in uniform at risk. Congress should reject the administration’s proposed cuts and instead fully fund the international affairs budget…” (6/12).