POST: The real State-Defense turf war begins, By Josh Rogin, The Cable, 11/03/2009
Predictable struggle: the Pentagon doesn't want the hassle and prefers "doing the right thing" by demilitarizing foreign aid and giving it back to incompetent State and headless USAID.
But Combatant Commanders in the field resist this "noble" gesture.
Why? They fear a sheer drop off in effort, and nobody in command wants that on their watch. They don't spend 30 years getting to the mountain top to sit on their hands, waiting for USAID's slo-mo efforts to--perhaps--kick in here and there.
I say, leave the money with those who are best incentivized to use it in a rapid and targeted manner. I'll take any additional learning curve journey with the military over the headless, morale-dead USAID.
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