For more than six decades, the United States Agency for International Development—USAID—stood as a quiet yet essential pillar of American power. It was not the hard edge of military force or the visible weight of economic might, but something more enduring: the projection of U.S. democratic values, economic openness, and a spirit of cooperation. It was, from the beginning, a strategic idea. When John F. Kennedy established USAID in 1961, he advanced a vision that helping other nations build stability and prosperity was not merely an act of goodwill. It was a form of leadership. Development, in this view, was not charity—it was statecraft. Not generosity alone, but a disciplined, forward-looking investment in a safer and more prosperous world. For decades, that idea held strong bipartisan support. Through wars, recessions, and shifting political tides, USAID remained a cornerstone of U.S. global engagement—carried forward by generations of public servants who worked far from the spotlight, often in the most fragile corners of the world. That continuity ended abruptly last year. Early in 2025, the United States began dismantling USAID: shutting down the Washington, D.C., headquarters building, firing local staff overseas, and sending its Foreign Service members home with little advance notice. The decision marked a profound rupture, not only in policy but in the institutional memory and professional capacity that had defined U.S. development leadership. The closure of USAID is not the end of the story. Efforts by the USAID Alumni Association (UAA) are underway to preserve the agency’s intellectual and historical legacy. BY CHRIS MILLIGAN Chris Milligan serves as co-chair of the USAID Alumni Association. A Senior Foreign Service officer, he retired from USAID as Counselor of the agency in 2021 after more than 30 years advancing U.S. development and humanitarian goals, particularly in crisis and political transition settings. Over the course of his career, he led major initiatives that strengthened the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance and advanced U.S. foreign policy priorities. THE USAID COMMUNITY STEPS FORWARD 24 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS A WORLD WITHOUT
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