Feeding Resilience: The National Security Imperative of USAID’s Food Security Programs

The Council on Strategic Risks advocates for the restoration of Feed the Future and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), asserting that these programs mitigate national security risks by building food system resilience and providing critical forecasting for humanitarian responses. The text highlights that Feed the Future reduces migration intent in Honduras and that FEWS NET lowers the cost of humanitarian interventions. It references endorsements from former military commanders and bipartisan political support to emphasize that food security is an investment that prevents future conflict and reduces the need for costly US military or humanitarian spending.

• The Trump Administration has paused two key US global food security initiatives: Feed the Future, which operates in 20 countries and supports 17 US universities, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), which has provided food insecurity analysis in 30 countries since 1985.
• Feed the Future contributes to US national security by reducing migration; specifically, beneficiaries in Honduras report a 78% lower intent to migrate compared to the general population, addressing a region where drought has driven migration to the US.
• FEWS NET increases the efficiency of US humanitarian support in response to economic shocks, conflict, and extreme weather, including in areas with US military deployment, and reduces the overall cost of intervention in terms of lives and money.
• The Council on Strategic Risks' 'The Feeding Resilience Plan', endorsed by former commanders of AFRICOM, CENTCOM, and INDOPACOM, recommends sustaining and expanding Feed the Future to forestall security threats and expanding FEWS NET to include longer-term warnings integrated with political instability forecasting.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2025). Feeding Resilience: The National Security Imperative of USAID’s Food Security Programs. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/01/31/feeding-resilience-the-national-security-imperative-of-usaids-food-security-programs/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Feeding Resilience: The National Security Imperative of USAID’s Food Security Programs. 2025. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/01/31/feeding-resilience-the-national-security-imperative-of-usaids-food-security-programs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Feeding Resilience: The National Security Imperative of USAID’s Food Security Programs |date=31 January 2025 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/01/31/feeding-resilience-the-national-security-imperative-of-usaids-food-security-programs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2025feeding, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Feeding Resilience: The National Security Imperative of USAID’s Food Security Programs}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/01/31/feeding-resilience-the-national-security-imperative-of-usaids-food-security-programs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }