Foreign affairs

Gen. Zinni, Adm. Stavridis: What Pompeo must do first if confirmed as secretary of state

...When we were combatant commanders, it was an article of faith that deploying development officers and diplomats today costs less in blood and treasure than deploying troops tomorrow. Foreign aid is not a reward for good behavior. It is a critical tool to advance American interests around the world and address the drivers of conflict and instability.

We hope that the warning about State Department cuts by the current U.S. European Command commander and NATO Chief Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti will be heeded. The Army general said that “diplomacy leads … a reduction of their abilities would not be positive.”

We hope policymakers will listen to Defense Secretary James Mattis’ conviction that America has “two fundamental powers – the power of intimidation and the power of inspiration” – and we need both to win in today’s world.

The next secretary of state will have to deal with a difficult and dangerous world. It’s time to stop the hemorrhaging of our top civilian talent and the proposals to slash the State Department budget by a third. To lead the State Department in a way that advances our national security interests, he must first save it.