Former Deputy Secretary of State and Navy veteran Richard L. Armitage just posted this message on our Veterans for Smart Power Facebook page. Join us on Facebook to get more updates like this and, if you haven’t already, sign the Veterans for Smart Power petition today!

“I’ve seen the lack of a smart power approach in Vietnam and appreciate its potential benefits having served as second in command at the State Department.  We owe it to our men and women in the Armed Forces to use all of our national tools to prevent threats before they reach our shores – and before we have to face them abroad.  Diplomacy, humanitarian development, economic and trade policies, and cultural exchanges are all critical to this mission.  I hope you’ll join all the veterans on this page in signing the Smart Power petition at http://www.vetsforsmartpower.org.”

Richard L. Armitage