Stavridis: Trump Cutting State, USAID, Foreign Aid Is a ‘Mistake’ that ‘Diminishes Our Security’

‘I think we need an increase in defense spending’

EXCERPT:

STAVRIDIS: "I am for the State Department. I am for A.I.D. In other words, I think we need an increase in defense spending. We can have a discussion about how much, but what we cannot do is make that increase on the back of our diplomats, our aid. Because that is the long game, the soft power side. You need the hard power. We are not going to negotiate a solution with the Islamic state but the long game is on the soft power side. The mistake would be cutting state, cutting A.I.D., cutting foreign aid. That diminishes our security."

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