See the inspiring stories Come meet us Time to legalize weed?
OPINION
U.S. Marine Corps

Civilian 'smart power' key to real victory: Column

James Stavridis and Anthony Zinni
U.S. Marines monitor multinational military maneuvers in Quweira, 186 miles south of Amman, Jordan, in June.
  • To combat global challenges%2C we know that we cannot deliver security solely from the barrel of a gun.
  • Our experience tells us that America faces vastly different threats now than it did during the Cold War.
  • Violent extremists and human-traffickers do not respect national boundaries.

In this turbulent new century, the security of the United States will depend increasingly on how we engage, persuade, and inspire people in countries in the rest of the world.

To combat the global challenges America faces in the world today, we know that we cannot deliver security solely from the barrel of a gun. The United States must combine the tools of development and diplomacy alongside defense to create the stability and prosperity around the globe that is in our national interests, prevents conflict, and sustains peace. That's what we call smart power.

This may seem unusual coming from two former career military officers, but our experience tells us that America faces vastly different threats now than it did when we entered the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during the Cold War. And that means we have to rely on new approaches to our security.

Because of globalization, new threats from violent extremists, human-traffickers and drug smugglers to name a few, have emerged who do not respect national boundaries. Unfortunately these enemies are also in the most dangerous in places with corrupt and ineffective governance, persistent poverty and disease, poor educational systems and widespread marginalization of girls and women. We know this from our times as commanders of U.S. forces in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.

In the 21st century, we cannot create security by building walls, as we did for most of the 20th Century, when we worried about conflict between nation states with large armies, navies and air forces. Instead, we need to build security by building bridges.

America's future depends on projecting the United States to the rest of the world as compassionate, confident, and, above all, engaged globally. The United States may be excellent at launching Tomahawk missiles, but we need to get better at launching ideas that solve the great health, social and economic challenges many countries face.

To be sure, there will be times when the United States must use "hard power" – military force – to protect the American people, our allies, and our vital interests. Yet, as we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, it requires capable civilian expertise to turn tactical military victories into long-term success. American troops can fight wars, but they cannot address the problems that most likely led to the conflict in the first place like failed governments, structural economic problems, and extreme poverty.

The military understands we need civilians who know the area, speak the language, bring needed expertise, and, most importantly, have long-standing personal relationships with local decision-makers. Initiatives such as the deployment of the hospital ship USNS COMFORT to provide medical care to hundreds of thousands in Latin America, and our rapid deployment of military and humanitarian resources in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan are but two of the many examples of how the military can support the civilians who lead America's humanitarian relief efforts. But when our diplomatic and development agencies are underfunded, understaffed, and underappreciated, the courageous sacrifice of the men and women in uniform is often wasted.

As our friend and former head of Central Command General James Mattis told a Senate Committee earlier this year, "If you don't fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition."

With 95% of the world's consumers living outside the United States and half of our exports going to the developing world, development assistance also makes a vital contribution to American prosperity by fostering stability and democracy, the rule of law, and free-market principles that open up new markets to American goods and services.

Smart power is not only the most successful way to protect America's security, it is also cost-effective. TheInternational Affairs Budget, which funds the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other diplomacy and development agencies, makes up a little more than 1% of all federal spending. This is wise investment in building a better, safer world in which America's values and interests are protected for the next generation.

Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander for operations from 2009 to 2013 and Commander of U.S. Southern Command from 2006 to 2009. He is also Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University. General Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.), served as Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command from 1997 to 2000. They are co-chairs of the National Security Advisory Council of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

Featured Weekly Ad