USAWC (United States Army War College) Military Studies Program Paper. Health Care as an Instrument of Foreign Policy (A Proposed Expanded Role for the Army Medical Department)

摘要

Since the end of World War II it has been the consistent policy of the United States to utilize various forms of foreign assistance as one method of furthering U.S. national objectives in foreign nations. This assistance has taken many forms through the years but the most prominent has been economic assistance for the rebuilding or development of friendly foreign nations, and military assistance in the form of weapons transfer and military training to support the legitimate defense needs of these friendly nations. Numerous factors, including U.S. domestic and international economic issues, questions of the appropriate role for the United States relative to foreign developing nations, and domestic political issues have been served to make unclear current United States foreign assistance policy. It is the thesis of the authors that U.S. foreign assistance programs in support of lesser developed nations of the world remains a powerful U.S. policy tool. The military medical departments of the U. S. armed forces, by virtue of past experience, technical expertise, and organizational strength, could play a much expanded and vital role in such humanitarian assistance efforts.