Hi Friend –

There’s a ton happening on the global stage – from the earthquake in Morocco and floods in Libya to the latest in Ukraine. But first, I wanted to share this critical message from some of America’s most decorated military leaders.

Taking their message to Capitol Hill, 110 three- and four-star retired generals and admirals just sent a critically important letter to Congress. The group all served in the Indo-Pacific theater and on the Pacific Rim and are speaking out on what’s at stake for America’s national security when it comes to the global competition with China.

• The group, which includes several former Commanders of U.S. Pacific Command, wrote: “We have seen on the frontlines how U.S. civilian diplomacy and development tools are central to a comprehensive American strategy to compete with China and protect U.S. national security interests.”
  
  
• As Congress approaches a potential shutdown at the end of the month, they pressed lawmakers that “shortchanging” investments in America’s civilian national security toolkit would be a “self-inflicted wound” for American security interests. The full readout is below.

Lots more to catch up on in the latest edition of the GLOBAL GAB below – including the warning shot from President Bush (who doesn’t speak out very often in his post-presidency), the takeaways from Secretary Blinken’s big speech yesterday, and the latest from the 2024 campaign trail.

I’m off to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) next week with the USGLC team, so stay tuned for more updates from New York and the latest from Capitol Hill.

Best,

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC 

THE GLOBAL GAB: Military Leaders Speak Out on China Strategy, President Bush’s Warning, Shutdown Showdown
September 14, 2023

MILITARY LEADERS WEIGH-IN. With lawmakers back from the Congressional recess and ahead of the fiscal deadline, 110 three- and four-star generals and admirals – who all served in the Indo-Pacific theater – are speaking out on the importance of investing in U.S. diplomacy and global development as a core component of America’s China strategy.

• The impressive group includes former Commanders of U.S. Pacific Command Admirals Thomas Fargo, William Fallon, and Samuel Locklear, alongside National Security Advisory Council Co-Chairs General Anthony Zinni and Admiral James Stavridis.
  
  
• Spotlighted in POLITICO, they urge Congressional leaders to strengthen investments in the U.S. International Affairs Budget, warning that “shortchanging our nation’s diplomacy and development tools would be a self-inflicted wound for protecting U.S. national security interests.”
  
  
• When it comes to competing with China, they write, “the State Department, USAID, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, and other development agencies… are critical for providing a credible American alternative to the PRC’s development deals and are essential to protecting the nation we swore to defend.”

» Read the full letter here.

BREAKING. The Administration just tapped former Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, to be the new U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery. The White House stated that she “will drive the United States’ efforts to help rebuild the Ukrainian economy” working directly with America’s allies and partners, the private sector, and international financial institutions. Expect Pritzker, who has deep familial ties to Ukraine and extensive credibility within the business community, to be a key U.S. official at next week’s UN General Assembly.

CRISIS WATCH. The last five days have brought new turmoil, devastation, and instability with two escalating natural disasters in North Africa – along with new reporting from the Sudanese refugee crisis in Chad. Here’s the latest:

• In Morocco, rescue and relief operations are continuing with officials reporting nearly 3,000 lives lost and close to 300,000 people affected across the region. USAID announced it was sending a disaster response team to help “identify unmet humanitarian needs” and work with the Moroccan government.
  
  
• In Libya, massive floods struck on Monday following Storm Daniel and the collapse of two dams, killing more than 6,000 people in the coastal city of Derna. USGLC member, the International Rescue Committee, is responding on the ground and its country director told NBC News that the flood “ranks among the most destructive disasters” to hit the country. Yesterday, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the flood-hit area.
  
  
• Across the African continent in Chad, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield and MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell put a spotlight on the crisis for Sudanese refugees fleeing atrocities in their home country as the UN investigates allegations of genocide.

SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN. On Capitol Hill, there are just nine legislative days until the end of the fiscal year shared between the House and Senate. The House has only passed one out of the twelve appropriations bills and the Senate has yet to pass any bills on the floor. With a razor thin GOP House majority, a short Continuing Resolution is the most likely path to avert a government shutdown, but with each passing day the pathway looks more complicated.

• Key questions remain as to if and when the all-important State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill could reach the House or Senate floor, along with consideration of the emergency supplemental request for additional assistance to Ukraine and other global needs alongside domestic disaster response resources.
  
  
• Already, a number of problematic amendments have been filed in the House from a small minority of lawmakers that would dramatically reduce America’s footprint around the world and cut the International Affairs Budget even further than the 12% cut currently proposed in the House State-Foreign Operations bill. The Senate bill proposes a 2% cut for America’s diplomacy and development programs around the world from current resource levels.

BUSH SPEAKS OUT. As politics clouds the critical reauthorization of America’s signature HIV/AIDS relief program – the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – President George W. Bush used his bully pulpit to weigh in on the urgency to pass the critical legislation in Congress.

• The president wrote in the Washington Post: “The reauthorization is stalled because of questions about whether PEPFAR’s implementation under the current administration is sufficiently pro-life. But there is no program more pro-life than one which has saved more than 25 million lives. I urge Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR for another five years without delay.”
  
  
• President Bush also amplified the words of his speechwriter and USGLC’s former board member, the late Michael Gerson: “...what definition of being ‘pro-life’ does not include saving millions of lives from preventable disease and death? There is only one AIDS strategy adequate to controlling this disease: full funding, and full speed ahead.”

SEASON OF GLOBAL SUMMITS. Following the 15th BRICS Summit last month, multiple global gatherings are in the mix from the G20 to Africa Climate Summit to the upcoming UN General Assembly.

• At the G20, Indian President Narendra Modi convened world leaders for the latest head of state gathering as the South Asian nation positioned itself as “mediator between the Global North and the Global South.” President Biden attended as Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin skipped the New Delhi gathering.
  
  
• In the midst of tough geopolitics, the most significant announcement might have been from the United States alongside India, Middle Eastern countries, and the European Union of a new “India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor” to “usher in a new era of connectivity with a railway, linked through ports connecting Europe, the Middle East, and Asia ” – an initiative building on the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), clearly countering China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
  
  
• In Nairobi at the first-ever Africa Climate Summit, Kenyan President William Ruto spoke out on how climate change is “relentlessly eating away” at Africa’s economic progress. On the topic of climate finance, he stated that “those who produce the garbage refuse to pay their bills” adding that Africa is losing 5% to 15% of its GDP growth every year due to the impacts of climate change.

» In case you missed it, see Liz’s 360 video discussing all the recent Summits.

DIPLOMACY DELIVERS. In a marquee speech ahead of next week’s UN General Assembly and just after returning from Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the case to Americans and the world on the “the power and promise of American diplomacy.”

• On the global threats America faces, Blinken linked U.S. engagement directly to American interests, stating “In this pivotal time, America’s global leadership is not a burden. It’s a necessity to safeguard our freedom, our democracy, and our security; to create opportunities for American workers and businesses; to improve the lives of American citizens.”
  
  
• On the return on investment for U.S. global leadership. Blinken pointed to the “tangible benefits for American families and communities, even as we spend less than one percent of our federal budget on diplomacy and global development.”

» Watch the full speech here.

UKRAINE IN FOCUS. Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction is expected to be a significant topic next week at the UN General Assembly. As Congress considers new emergency assistance to Ukraine, leaders and experts continue to speak out on why U.S. assistance remains critical for U.S. interests.

• After returning from the August Congressional recess, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voiced support for the emergency aid package for Ukraine saying, “With Ukraine bravely defending its sovereignty and eroding Russia’s capacity to threaten NATO… it’s not time for America to step back.”
  
  
• USGLC’s National Security Advisory Council Co-Chairs General Anthony Zinni and Admiral James Stavridis added their own voices on additional support to Ukraine in a recent statement, “Doubling down on American and allied support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion remains indispensable for U.S. national security.” The two leaders added, “As Ukraine’s coffers start to run dry, additional U.S. security, economic, and humanitarian support – alongside that of our allies – is essential to putting Ukraine in the strongest position possible to continue to defend their territory and for any diplomatic negotiations that emerge.”
  
  
• In a signature long-form op-ed, conservative NY Times columnist Bret Stephens recently traveled to Ukraine with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, where he asks and answers the tough questions – from corruption in Ukraine to the effectiveness of U.S. assistance to the importance of U.S. global leadership. Read the full piece here.

» Watch the USGLC’s National Town Hall on Ukraine here with military and conservative leaders on what’s at stake for U.S. interests.

2024 CAMPAIGN WATCH. Foreign policy has hit the campaign trail and candidates on both sides of the aisle are talking about America’s role in the world. At the first GOP debate in Milwaukee this past August, while positions around assistance to Ukraine and other global issues are not monolithic, there were strong voices on the importance of U.S. global engagement:

• Ambassador Nikki Haley: “When you look at the situation with Russia and Ukraine, here you have a pro-American country that was invaded by a thug… Less than 3.5% of our defense budget has been given to Ukraine. If you look at the percentages per GDP, 11 of the European countries have given more than the U.S.”
  
  
• Governor Chris Christie: “I went to Ukraine, because I wanted to see for myself what Vladimir Putin's army was doing to the free Ukrainian people… If we don't stand up against this type of autocratic killing we in the world, we will be next.”
  
  
• Vice President Mike Pence: “Anybody that thinks that we can't solve the problems here in the United States and be the leader the free world has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on Earth... We can do both… We’ve been the leader of the free world, the Arsenal democracy for years.”

» For more on all the candidates positions and records on diplomacy, global development, and international affairs programs, see the USGLC’s Impact 2024 web site with profiles on the candidates.