U.S. Sec. of Defense Robert Gates and more than 50 retired three- and four-star generals are calling for the next American president and Congress to rely more on development and diplomacy alongside defense in responding to global problems. Gates met last week with the House Foreign Relations Committee while retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni and retired U.S. Navy Adm. Leighton W. Smith, Jr. testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and launched the Center for U.S. Global Engagement's National Security Advisory Council. CGD deputy director for outreach and policy Sarah Jane Staats reports that the "brasstops" have concluded that the U.S. can no longer rely on military power alone to keep it safe from terrorism, infectious disease and other global challenges that recognize no borders. Are the presidential candidates and Congress listening?
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