June 2, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) hosted its annual Impact Forum, bringing together hundreds of business, nonprofit, farmer, faith, military, and bipartisan political leaders from around the country to demonstrate how America wins when it leads on the world stage.
As America marks 250 years, speakers discussed the future of global health security, global hot spots from the Middle East to Ukraine, the critical minerals race, and how international assistance and diplomacy are key to advancing America’s interests.
On diplomatic leadership: “Diplomacy leads the way in terms of this—building partnerships, building relationships,” said four-star General Joseph Votel (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Central Command. “It should be concerning to all of us in this room, that as we sit here today, there are over 100 embassies around the world that do not have a confirmed United States ambassador. That is astounding.”
On American global leadership: “This is not about charity, this is about global security, it’s about global leadership,” said Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ). “I was at the State Department, I was at the Pentagon, so I’ve seen these three Ds of defense, diplomacy, and development working hand in hand… and it needs to happen comprehensively and strategically.”
On the war in Iran: “This war is not going to be over. There may be a ceasefire, but that doesn’t mean the war is over,” said Gen. Joseph Votel. “The military by itself is not decisive. What is decisive is the diplomatic follow-up that comes with that—the economic tools that are applied in its wake, and the informational aspect we bring to bear—that really consolidates what we do militarily into a strategic victory.”
On economic security: “If we’re going to continue to lead the world, your tagline for this whole conference is that ‘America wins when America leads’—I couldn’t say it any better. We must invest in us: in our people, in our infrastructure, in our tech, in our economy to be strong,” said former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The whole point is America is strongest when we’re economically and militarily strong, and that brings the world towards us, and so I think that’s how we have to outcompete China.”
On food security: “I know when I took over, we were about a five-to-six-billion-dollar operation, and when I left, it was a $14 billion operation. We were stabilizing populations around the world, giving hope to people all over the world, and truly saving taxpayers in America a lot of money, because we were stabilizing populations,” said Governor David Beasley, former Executive Director of World Food Program. “When America leads as that city on the top of a hill, the world responds, the world looks to America.”
On humanitarian leadership: “The truth about the modern world is that it’s more connected than ever before, and therefore the risks spread faster than ever before, and it’s going to take really determined patient strategic engagement for this to be a world that doesn’t just spread risks but also spreads opportunities and security,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of International Rescue Committee. “It’s incredibly important for the free world and the whole world that America does play that role, because no one else can be the anchor.”
On global health security: “It was American scientists and American private sector companies and their partners who invented the drugs that made it possible for us to treat HIV,” said Dr. Bill Steiger, CEO of Malaria No More. “Whole societies were at the risk of falling apart when teachers and security officials and government officials and the commercial sector were all at risk of dying off. That posed a demonstrable risk to American security, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
On critical minerals: “We are investing in transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, critical minerals infrastructure, so that those deposits can come out and go to the places where they’re needed while also helping those countries,” said Sam Kwon, U.S. Trade and Development Agency General Counsel. “It has become very clear that’s where the White House wants to focus, and we believe there will be a series of projects that will come out of it strengthening our ability and security over these valuable deposits.”
On private sector engagement: “We spend billions and billions of dollars with our supply chain, and that is going to small manufacturers, that’s going to small businesses, that’s going to companies across the great United States. You can’t do any of that right without the partnership of the U.S. government to create the access, to create the conditions through their diplomacy, through their development,” said Heather Kulp, Chevron Vice President of Government Affairs. “That enables all of us to win and that means that America is stronger, and it means that the world ultimately gets stronger.”
On sports diplomacy: “There’s hunger for this type of engagement, and we want to figure out how we can maximize the impact of sports diplomacy. It’s sometimes talked about as soft power, and soft power is great; however, it’s strategic power,” said Rob Placek, State Department Senior Advisor for Sports Diplomacy.
“You showing up today, speaking with your passion, with your leadership, is how we turn from the complexities of yesterday to the opportunities of today and tomorrow, so I thank you, our wonderful, our impactful, our strange bedfellow coalition, for making our world just a little bit better and making America a whole lot stronger,” said USGLC President and CEO Liz Schrayer.
Watch the full program HERE
(Reach out to Kelsey Carolan, [email protected] with any questions on specific speakers and panel discussions)
###
Since 1995, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC.org) has been bringing together bipartisan political, military, business, farmer, faith, nonprofit, and community leaders from across the country to advocate on the strategic imperative of American leadership for advancing our own security, prosperity, and values. We believe that smart investments in international assistance and diplomacy, alongside defense, can make the world safer and America stronger. Watch 30 years of USGLC impact and partnership in 3 minutes here.
Get the latest news, advocacy, and event updates from the USGLC
© 2026 U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | Privacy Policy
