Washington DC: US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Verma, on Wednesday, outlined the Biden administration’s primary foreign funding objective for the Department of State to various countries in the form of aid financially, militarily and in various other aspects.
Secretary Verma pointed out that the budget request that was sent to Congress on Monday will allow the Department of State and USAID to continue advancing the Biden administration’s vision of a free, open, secure and prosperous world.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The major talk was about funds being provided to Ukraine in its war against Russia which has been going on for the past two years and the recent conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas since the October 7th attack on Israel. He said that the budget request invests in the personnel, assistance and programs the state department and USAID need as we stand on the front lines of these issues.
- Secondly, he mentioned China and how the US must employ all tools to out-compete China wherever possible and secure the Indo-Pacific for free trade and movement. The FY25 request will allow the US to continue to invest in the foundations of the country’s strength at home, align with like-minded partners Like India, Japan and Australia to strengthen our shared interests and address the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and harness those assets to compete with China and defend the American interests.
- He also said they would ally with foreign assistance to advance American values and build a network of like-minded partners to strengthen the country’s shared interests globally and address challenges posed by the PRC.
- The Indo-Pacific was an important structure of his briefing. He said the US is building a network of like-minded allies both regionally and globally to completely focus on the Indo-Pacific as it is a region of vital importance to US and global security and prosperity. The Indo-Pacific is a region of utmost importance and China has the US and India standing together to resist dragon to expand its military might in the region.
- The $4 billion discretionary request across foreign resistance and diplomatic engagement for the Indo-Pacific strategy represents the commitment that the US has to advance an affirmative vision of American values for the region.
- The request also includes $4 billion over five years in mandatory funding, including $2 billion to create a new international infrastructure fund which will outcompete China by providing a credible, reliable alternative to PRC options while also expanding markets and opportunities for American businesses and the funding will support transformative, quality, and sustainable hard infrastructural projects.
- He also mentioned that an additional $2 billion is also being sought to make game-changing and major investments in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen partner economies, improve good governance and rule of Law, bolster connectivity between partner countries, and support their efforts including through multilateral fora-in building resilience and pushing back against predatory efforts of the Chinese.
- India has a major role to play in the Indo-Pacific along with the US, Japan and Australia. Together they are known as QUAD countries, a group which works towards security and a free Indo-Pacific.
- India will also benefit from this new global funding priorities strategy as it will get hold of the latest military equipment and technology and will also perform many joint exercises with its Pacific partners which will benefit India’s stand against China in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. It will also strengthen India’s military might and help India become a stronger power in the global sphere.
- Secretary Verma was also asked about the AUKUS pact and the safety and security of the Indo-Pacific. To this, he stated that “AUKUS is one of the transformative agreements and the US is proud to have been supporting and moving forward with it”. He mentioned that the budget reflects the kind of pace, scope and scale that all sides have agreed to.
- He also said that he saw incredible enthusiasm and commitment from the State Department, DOD(Defence Department), and the larger technology community and said that it is because AUKUS doesn’t just have one pillar but two pillars which also talk about the collaboration in defence and technology sector.
