25 March 2017

News Story: US military chiefs defend diplomacy in face of Trump cuts

By Thomas WATKINS

President Donald Trump's proposed gutting of the State Department budget and other "soft power" agencies could hamper long-term security goals and make the military's job tougher, US generals are warning.

Trump wants to slash federal spending across an array of agencies and foreign aid programs, and eliminate other organizations to pay for a boost in Pentagon spending, including by lopping 28 percent from State Department coffers.

Under his proposals, defense spending would increase by nearly 10 percent to $639 billion, more than the next seven nations combined.

But top generals are telling lawmakers this military-centric approach doesn't fully address the plethora of global security challenges.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily