TRANSFORM Program

TRANSFORM which is a project of the Admiral Jeremiah Denton Foundation describe themselves as "an international humanitarian program to assist third world countries to rise out of poverty, especially nations and peoples who are being harmed by terrorist organization." They noted that: "The human tragedy of immense suffering and incredibly high death rates in underdeveloped countries is not caused by a world shortage of food or other goods to alleviate that suffering... The limiting factor is the cost of transportation." Thus they were set up to solve this apparent problem.

They continue: "Of course, military power has a major role in putting down terrorism. But we need an improved system of providing aid to and re-building nations including those that have to be conquered, damaged, and/or overrun, in the interest of counter-terrorism (like Afghanistan and Iraq). Also needed is a vastly improved system for relieving abject, prolonged poverty, a cause of instability and terrorism—a system that preemptively attacks the causes of terrorism at its real roots. TRANSFORM can meet this need, and can help reduce the probability of the adoption of terrorist movements. TRANSFORM can reduce the frequency and extent of the need to opt for the more costly choice of a purely military solution."

In their book it seems that: "The biggest reason for the failure of the wealthy nations, especially the United States, to share fully their surplus goods with the poor peoples of the world, is not an unwillingness to give them--rather the reason is the unaffordable cost of transportation to ship those goods across the oceans. Often the worth of the goods shipped is exceeded by the cost of transportation of the goods."

Later they write: "A need to improve the coordination of the efforts of corporate America, government, and non-governmental organizations exists, and can be addressed with a huge payoff in results. TRANSFORM is qualified to help with that task. Several innovations should be looked into soon.

• "We should use more civil affairs and PSYOPS input and participation in planning and executing anti-terrorism and related developmental aid programs. Civil Affairs experience with the free Iraqi forces which were a major help in the Coalition Forces’ push from Kuwait to Baghdad in record time with minimal losses should be studied and exploited in such places as Colombia.

• "Unexploded mines and ordnance present a psychological and economic depressant in many poor nations. More emphasis should be applied toward soliciting public and NGO support for governmentally applied efforts in this field, as well as more media emphasis and other public relations means to highlight U.S. interest and commitment in this important humanitarian and developmentally related effort.

• "NGO’s have an aversion, justified in some cases, unjustified in others, to being seen involved in any program that is tinged by military participation. Both sides need to understand the other’s point of view, and then the situation must be improved. There is a very important book written on this subject that should be mandatory reading. Specifically dealing with mainly disaster mitigation, the book provides insights spilling over into other types of interventions: Title: U.S./NGO Relationship in Humanitarian Intervention, Author: Chris Seiple, Publisher: The Peace Keeping Institute, Center for Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College.

• "The era of terrorism is requiring some reorganization of our government and a new set of task assignments. That the reorganization is unfinished is nobody’s fault, but it cannot remain unfinished. The willingness of faith-based organizations to deliver aid in hazardous areas such as Iraq, Afghanistan or Colombia, could be bolstered by hazardous duty pay.

• "TRANSFORM is experienced in consulting relevant charities and conforming the appropriate sets of aid to be given in each case, and can help in ensuring that the aid is conducive to the theory of not just giving them a hand-out upon which they become dependent. Don’t just give them a fish, but teach them how to fish, ultimately to support themselves, and become profitable participants in world trade. Education is as important as material goods in this respect.

• "TRANSFORM is experienced in cooperating and taking guidance from relevant national authorities, cooperating with the benign and humane security interests of the United States whose objectives are world stability, and a globally accepted human rights pattern among nations. The U.S. is interested in an increase of human productivity globally and in an acceptable standard of human rights on the part of governments, an issue which would apply to TRANSFORM’s selection of beneficiaries except in the case of disaster mitigation aid.

• "TRANSFORM has vast experience in taking steps to avoid customs delays, pilfering of cargo, delays in shipments to the intended recipients, and other transporting bugaboos."

"Implementation of a Global TRANSFORM System would provide a cheaper alternative to present means of eliminating terrorism at its roots, saving lives and treasure in the process."