Save USAID – The Post and Courier

February 17, 2025 | By Vice Admiral Malcolm I. Fages, USN (Ret.), Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee (2001-2004)

“[The] freeze on foreign assistance programs and the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development will substantially impact our national security. Foreign military assistance to Taiwan has been suspended while China’s saber-rattling has intensified. Counterterrorism and anti-ISIS programs have been placed on hold. Civilian programs in Central and South America that combat transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking have been halted. Active U.S. programs that prevent, detect and respond to biosecurity threats have been suspended. Demining programs have also been stopped globally. Critical food and medical aid has been halted in areas experiencing famine. […] This hatchet approach to virtually all foreign assistance programs serves only to bolster the impact of Chinese and Russian influence in regions around the world.”