Read the original oped by Janice Hawkins in The Virginia Pilot.
For Janice Hawkins – a veteran, military spouse, nurse and mother of a service member – the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) hits close to home.
Earlier this year, an executive order set in motion the potential withdrawal of the U.S. from WHO. It’s a move that Hawkins and many of her uniformed colleagues see not as savings, but as self-sabotage. “National security isn’t a policy debate to me,” Hawkins writes in The Virginian-Pilot. “It’s personal.”
Her argument is grounded in a simple truth: you can’t have a strong military without healthy troops. And you can’t have healthy troops without global public health cooperation. That’s where WHO comes in.
A Global Shield That Protects Our Troops
WHO is present in 194 countries, helping coordinate everything from outbreak response to vaccine delivery. It’s the kind of work you rarely see, but always feel when it’s gone.
More than 120,000 active-duty U.S. troops are based in Virginia alone. Many serve in malaria-prone zones or areas with active dengue, Zika or tuberculosis outbreaks. WHO helps reduce their risk before they even deploy – by controlling outbreaks at the source, supporting local health systems and ensuring global disease surveillance stays strong.
As Hawkins puts it, “Every time we deploy our servicemen and women overseas, we put them in danger – from combat, disease exposure, environmental hazards and psychological stresses. WHO is one of our best tools to help protect them.”
“Every time we deploy our servicemen and women overseas, we put them in danger – from combat, disease exposure, environmental hazards and psychological stresses. WHO is one of our best tools to help protect them.”
Dollars and Sense: Global Health Saves Taxpayer Money
Some critics argue that the U.S. pays too much to WHO, but Hawkins – a self-described fiscal conservative – argues the opposite. Prevention, she points out, is a bargain compared to the cost of a response once a disease spreads.
She points to Washington state’s 2019 measles outbreak, which began with a single traveler returning from abroad and cost taxpayers $2.3 million to contain. That’s just one example of the immense economic toll of disease — tolls the WHO is built to prevent.
Instead of footing the bill for outbreaks, U.S. contributions to WHO help fund vaccine drives, drug-resistance tracking and early warning systems in the world’s most vulnerable communities. That’s not just charity — it’s strategy.
Stability Is Security
WHO’s value doesn’t stop at health. For Hawkins and many others in the military community, it’s also a peacekeeping tool. “Countries that are healthy and not ravaged by disease are more stable and less susceptible to violence,” she explains. When people aren’t battling outbreaks, they’re less likely to be displaced, radicalized or caught in cycles of civil unrest.
For those who want fewer military engagements overseas, fewer deployments and fewer risks to service members, investing in global health is one of the smartest things we can do. That’s not just Hawkins’ view; it’s a consensus shared by security experts from the Pentagon to NATO.
“Countries that are healthy and not ravaged by disease are more stable and less susceptible to violence.”
A Message for Congress
For military families, health professionals and everyday Americans who want a stronger, safer future, this is a call to action. Hawkins urges lawmakers to demand a better course of action by focusing on preparedness, protection and patriotism. In Hawkins’ words, it’s about ensuring that “our country’s health, economy and national security” don’t suffer the consequences of isolation.
At a time when diseases can travel faster than ever, the best way to protect Americans isn’t by retreating – it’s by leading. And WHO is where that leadership begins.