TRANSCRIPT:
The Voice of America is a critical instrument of U.S. national security policy. For decades, it has been the instrument that the U.S. government has used to reach isolated and suppressed populations to provide them truthful information and share the benefits of an open and free press that characterize democratic peoples and nations.
From my perspective as the former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command, Voice of America was a critical tool that reached populations in which the organizations I led were operating.
The events of the last few days in Iran illustrate the important role of a well-supported international broadcasting arm supported by our federal government, linked to our overall national security strategy, and which can operate in many locations and in dozens of languages. In many areas where our military operates, radio broadcasts are not only a vital way, but in fact the only way that indigenous people receive their daily information.
Voice of America is a beacon of American ideals and truthfulness. And on many occasions when I traveled in the Middle East and in many other locations, I had local interlocutors recite back to me what they had heard on our Voice of America channels. Importantly, it was a tool that I supported to help disseminate truthful information across our operating areas. And the existence of Voice of America as a trusted source is critical to us in times of emergency.
We simply cannot create the expertise, the cultural understanding, and the ability to communicate to indigenous populations on short notice. That has to be developed over time and it is a tool that we need in our kit bag all the time. American power is a culmination of several different instruments: our military capabilities, our diplomatic weight, our economic dominance, and the power of our ideas. At the precipice of those ideas are the democratic values that we hold most dear — freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
Effective national security requires a careful balance of all four of these instruments to preserve our interests and help us accomplish our objectives. The Voice of America is a critical tool for American security.
Published
Votel served as commander of U.S. Central Command from 2016–2019, overseeing military operations across the Middle East and parts of South and Central Asia. A retired four-star Army general, he previously led U.S. Special Operations Command.