General Petraeus Talks Smart Power in Florida
By Jordan Smith at 9 February, 2010, 12:43 pm
Head of U.S. Central Command General David Petraeus spoke to a packed audience of over 600 people on the vital role civilian tools play in 21st century U.S. national security. Co-hosted by the USGLC and the Tampa Bay Council on World Affairs on Wednesday, February 3, the event focused on the importance of global engagement to both Florida and the United States.
General Petraeus highlighted the importance of elevating development and diplomacy alongside defense to help America meet global challenges describing “a civil-military approach.” In discussing how our civilian-led tools are essential to protecting our national security, he said, “Projects such as building of schools and administration of aid rise in importance in regions where extremist groups recruit heavily.”
Talking about hot spots like Afghanistan and Pakistan and how important civilian-led efforts are in those places, Petraeus said, “Tens of thousands of civilians are working closely with their military counterparts in the Central Command region to achieve the conditions we hope to establish, and this is obviously a hugely important aspect of our operations.”
Stressing how necessary education efforts are to stabilizing societies and in training local police forces in particular, the General commented, “You can’t enforce the law if you can’t read it. We’ve almost found it more helpful to teach them to read up to an eighth-grade level than anything else.”
This event also marked the launch of the Putting Smart Power to Work campaign in Florida, as well as the new Florida State Advisory Committee, a group of government, military, business and faith-based leaders from the state committed to educating Floridians on the importance of a smart power foreign policy approach. This distinguished group of individuals will be working across the state of Florida, holding meetings with their members of Congress and raising awareness of how crucial smart power is to Florida’s security and prosperity.
The day before the event in Tampa, National Security Advisory Council Members Admiral Robert Natter and General James T. Hill wrote in the St. Petersburg Times about the important role development and diplomacy play in our national security.
To watch the entire event with General Petraeus, click here.
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