How Foreign Policy Functions Shifted to the Pentagon

By Walter Pincus
Monday, August 4, 2008; Page A09

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opened a hearing last Thursday on the creeping militarization of U.S. foreign policy by saying: "There has been a migration of functions and authorities from U.S. civilian agencies to the Department of Defense."

He noted that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has described the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development as "chronically undermanned and underfunded for too long."

As the hearing showed, two programs that began in 2006 provided through the Pentagon the kinds of military and development funds to partner countries in the fight against terrorism -- support that is traditionally directed by the State Department.

Section 1206 programs gave the Pentagon the authority to spend $200 million to train and equip foreign military forces to carry out counterterrorism operations in their own countries or give support elsewhere -- say, Iraq -- in association with U.S. forces.

more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301784.html?hpid=sec-politics