{"id":44581,"date":"2019-02-21T14:23:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T14:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/21\/us-military-officers-prep-the-battlefield-for-white-house-budget\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:25:29","slug":"us-military-officers-prep-the-battlefield-for-white-house-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/02\/21\/us-military-officers-prep-the-battlefield-for-white-house-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"US military officers prep the battlefield for White House budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Correction: The original fiscal 2017 and 2018 budget numbers in this story were erroneous and have since been corrected.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Ahead of the White House\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2019\/02\/06\/budget-for-fiscal-2020-expected-to-be-released-march-12\/\" target=_blank>fiscal 2020 budget submission<\/a>, expected next month, there\u2019s been a solid push for diplomacy and development spending, and it\u2019s coming from, well, the Defense Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The top uniformed officers who head U.S. Central Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Africa Command have offered over the last few weeks fodder to lawmakers who argue U.S. foreign policy cannot thrive on military might alone, and that a full State Department budget is vital to national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Afghanistan, for example, President Donald Trump\u2019s year-old South Asia strategy \u2014 which involves military and diplomatic pressure to leverage a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/01\/30\/us-forces-should-leave-afghanistan-even-if-a-deal-with-the-taliban-fails\/\" target=_blank>U.S.-Taliban peace deal<\/a> \u2014 is working, CENTCOM\u2019s Gen. Joseph Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month. (The plan\u2019s not without its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/02\/20\/opinion\/afghanistan-peace-talks.html\" target=_blank>critics<\/a> and U.S. lawmakers have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/16\/us-lawmakers-meet-ghani-warn-against-big-afghanistan-troop-pullout\/\" target=_blank>warned<\/a> against a hasty withdrawal.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe recognize this conflict will not be resolved solely by military force, but our military pressure serves as an enabler through a whole-of-government process and more directly supports diplomatic efforts led by Ambassador [Zalmay] Khalilzad,\u201d Votel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All the remarks are in the public record, but excerpts were compiled by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, which advocates to protect the international affairs budget to enhance national security. Ahead of the administration\u2019s budget release, expected March 12, USGLC shared its excerpts, as it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/sofic\/2017\/05\/09\/military-brass-defend-state-department-against-white-house-budget-ax\/\" target=_blank>previously<\/a> done.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/02\/14\/pentagon-chief-us-will-work-with-nato-on-planned-afghanistan-troop-withdrawal\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_5649.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pentagon chief: US will work with NATO on planned Afghanistan troop withdrawal<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A departure &#039;won&#039;t be unilateral,&#039; Shanahan said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AFRICOM\u2019s Gen. Thomas Waldhauser offered a laundry list of diplomatic and development initiatives Feb. 7 in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee. The regional combatant command\u2019s activities, he said, \u201cdirectly complement Department of State and [U.S. Agency for International Development] efforts to reduce the spread of harmful ideologies, strengthen governments who protect their citizens, and foster security and economic successes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFirst, very few, if any, of Africa\u2019s challenges can be resolved using only military force. Consequently, U.S. Africa Command emphasizes military support to diplomacy and development efforts,\u201d Waldhauser said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China\u2019s investments through its One Belt, One Road initiative, an economic policy that seeks to connect Eurasia to China, are developing relationships that go beyond the military\u2019s defensive mission, the officers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indo-Pacific Command\u2019s Adm. Philip Davidson said the U.S. must proactively promote its values \u201cin the diplomatic and the information space, as well as the economic space, quite briskly because China is spreading dollars around very perniciously through corruption &#8230; and we\u2019ve got to be willing to work in these other realms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Davidson and SOUTHCOM\u2019s Adm. Craig Faller touted the importance of foreign military financing \u2014 an area <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/federal-budget\/2018\/02\/12\/trump-budget-shaves-1-billion-from-foreign-military-financing\/\" target=_blank>targeted<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2017\/09\/11\/us-senate-panel-bucks-trump-to-back-foreign-military-financing\/\" target=_blank>previous Trump budgets<\/a> \u2014 which provides grants and loans for countries to purchase U.S. defense equipment, and International Military Education and Training, a program under which foreign officers attend U.S. military schools. The program is a favorite of SASC Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This security assistance spending, Faller said, represents &#8220;lifelong relationships with future leaders who trust us, understand our culture and doctrine, and are prepared to work with us on a range of challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/02\/07\/us-cuts-military-aid-to-cameroon-over-human-rights-concerns\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4175703.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US cuts military aid to Cameroon over human rights concerns<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The United States said Wednesday it is cutting some military aid to Cameroon over human rights concerns after growing allegations of abuses by security forces, a significant step against a solid ally in central Africa that is gripped by fighting between the government and Anglophone separatists.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Behind closed doors, there\u2019s historically been a tug of war between the Defense Department, which Congress has favored with budgets and authorities, and the State Department. James Jeffrey, the U.S. envoy to Syria, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2017\/03\/03\/massive-change-is-coming-to-the-state-department-rex-tillerson-bad-habits-diplomacy-focus\/\" target=\"_blank\">lamented<\/a> in 2017, before he had the job, that the Pentagon \u201chas won budgets for supporting foreign forces, counterterrorism, and other military partner activities traditionally largely under State. The Pentagon also is active in State and USAID areas such as counternarcotics, foreign police training, and at times even local economic and capacity building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear what role the public defense from officers will play in lawmakers\u2019 deliberations. The State Department\u2019s spending plan under the Trump administration isn\u2019t public yet, but there is a pattern of Congress reversing cuts to development and diplomacy proposed by Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, Trump proposed $40.1 billion for his inaugural international affairs budget, and Congress enacted a $55.9 billion budget. For fiscal 2018, Trump proposed a $42.2 billion international affairs budget, and Congress approved $56.1 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s telling that one of the key advocates for budget discipline at the State Department and USAID, Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation, anticipates this pattern will continue in the FY20 budget cycle. By his reckoning, the administration has long since fumbled its opportunity for an exhaustive reexamination of budgets, which have been \u201con autopilot for years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not only is Congress unlikely to tackle the issue, but the administration is unlikely to do so. Then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson\u2019s attempts damaged morale at the State Department such that his successor, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govexec.com\/management\/2018\/05\/pompeo-backs-away-trumps-planned-state-department-cuts\/148488\/\" target=_blank>reportedly<\/a> backed off the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed State Department authorization bills for three years in a row. However, Schaefer argued, the State Department isn\u2019t called upon to justify its budget growth and show how more spending yields better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is certainly possible State Department and USAID budgets are 100 percent the best, but we don\u2019t know that because Congress and the administration haven\u2019t engaged in a real thorough analysis,\u201d Schaefer said. \u201cYou get platitudes and not that exhaustive top-to-bottom look. Are we getting value for the increases that have been implemented? If so, show the American taxpayer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ahead of the White House\u2019s FY20 budget submission, a solid push for diplomacy and development spending is coming from, well, the Defense Department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":84281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"8":{"categories":["congress","federal-oversight","daily-brief","newsletters","home","budget","management"],"primary_category":"congress"}}},"categories":[44,8,160,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-44581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budget","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"KD5BJYRSMFHS5CCHHAEEVL7GVU","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2019\/02\/21\/us-military-officers-prep-the-battlefield-for-white-house-budget\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US military officers prep the battlefield for White House budget - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ahead of the White House\u2019s FY20 budget submission, a solid push for diplomacy and development spending is coming from, well, the Defense Department.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US military officers prep the battlefield for White House budget\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ahead of the White House\u2019s FY20 budget submission, a solid push for diplomacy and development spending is coming from, well, the Defense Department.\" 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