Why we need non-military tools to keep Americans safe and secure
The hantavirus outbreak, and the mpox epidemic before it, highlight how the United States faces a variety of threats that originate overseas. It also underscores how military tools alone cannot protect Americans from such challenges, whether infectious disease outbreaks or destabilizing intra-state conflicts that generate mass migration, as in Haiti, or complicate access to critical sea lanes, as with Sudan and the Red Sea.
TL;DR
- Military tools alone are insufficient to protect the U.S. from overseas threats like disease outbreaks and conflicts.
- Non-military tools, such as international assistance, are crucial for mitigating global dangers and insulating the U.S. population.
- Reductions in foreign aid risk undermining U.S. priorities, strength, security, and prosperity.
- Investments in international assistance effectively prevent disease outbreaks before they reach U.S. shores.
- Foreign aid can mitigate mass migration and terrorism by addressing root causes through programs in relief, education, and development.
- Local economic development and capacity building through foreign assistance foster self-sustaining communities and reduce reliance on aid.
- U.S. foreign aid spending provides a return on investment by supporting U.S. businesses and creating jobs domestically.