Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in National Security Statement on Anti-Hate and Discriminatory Practices
Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in National Security Statement on Anti-Hate and Discriminatory Practices
Throughout our collective history, Americans have stood in the face of, challenged, and overcome foreign oppression. Many of those who shouldered this burden were new American citizens, immigrants, and refugees who found their way to the United States to escape atrocities abroad. They fought to defend America’s ideals because they most reverently cherished the value of American freedom; indeed, they knew all too well the alternative: the lack of fundamental rights, the oppression that arises from tyranny, the fear of not knowing whether survival can be expected from one day to the next, and the horrors of abject poverty. Freedom--our Nation’s highest ideal--can never be taken for granted. Our freedom was won and ultimately secured by individuals who, throughout history, profoundly appreciated its value, fragility, and imperfections. They carried with them--and continue to carry with them--an unwavering resolve to defend America’s democracy.
We are foreign policy and national security professionals, including active and retired military members, diplomats, civilian government employees, government contractors, intelligence officers, investors, scientists, and academics. We are Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who come from diverse backgrounds, from third-generation Chinese-Americans whose ancestors sought more opportunities and labored to build the vital infrastructure of America’s westward expansion, to first-generation immigrants whose parents wanted to achieve the American Dream. We are allies and community members united by our commitment to America, and we are bound by a collective mission to make our country a better and more secure place.
As a community, it has been heart-wrenching to hear--and personally experience--the latest surge of hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans across our beloved country, the same country for which thousands of Asian-Americans have fought and died. The perpetuation of this prejudice has only intensified under the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical and economic strains and racial polarization it has surfaced. Simultaneously, the xenophobia that is spreading as U.S. policy concentrates on great power competition has exacerbated suspicions, microaggressions, discrimination, and blatant accusations of disloyalty simply because of the way we look. Many of us have been targeted because we are either ethnically Chinese or simply look Asian. This is not to dismiss credible counterintelligence concerns as evidenced through indictments of U.S. citizens—some of whom are White—spying for China. Treating all Asian-Americans working in national security with a broad stroke of suspicion, rather than seeing us as valuable contributors, is counterproductive to the greater mission of securing the homeland. As members and allies of the AAPI community, we acknowledge that Asian Americans are intrinsic to the fabric of American society.
Pertaining specifically to the current state of affairs, Chinese-Americans are America’s greatest asset in promoting improved understanding and providing a unique bulwark to counter malign Chinese economic, military and political aggression. Not only do they have the linguistic and cultural intelligence to better understand the other side, but many of them possess the expertise and creativity to find innovative solutions to various issues within US-China relations. In an environment where most security-cleared professionals are prevented from travel, cultural exchange, and research with China, diaspora community members have the perspectives and sophistication vital to crafting creative policy solutions to complex, interdisciplinary challenges.
Asian-Americans have also contributed to irregular and unconventional activities. Similar to how the U.S. military opened its ranks to foreign nationals to defeat the Axis Powers in WWII and allowed immigrants to become some of the first Green Berets, we can leverage our diverse backgrounds to increase the U.S.’s strategic advantage. We must recall and learn from painful elements of American history, when hostilities abroad resulted in undue prejudice and groundless suspicion at home, culminating, for instance, in the internment of Japanese-Americans. No American should be asked to prove their loyalty, absent evidence to the contrary. We as Asian-Americans are integral in combatting and securing America’s collective cognitive security.
These are just a few ways that Asian-Americans are contributing to the U.S.’s national security. We must recognize that our diversity is a critical asset in protecting this nation as we not only uphold our country’s founding democratic principles, but also work towards an America where all of our children will, as Martin Luther King extolled to all Americans, “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
For we embody the American spirit. We are proud Americans, and we love what America stands for: democracy and freedom.
SIGNED,
Bryan Aaron Jr.
Lalitha Adury
Judi Rhee Alloway, Women's Biz Coop
David Anderson, Department of State
Mark Appleton, Fmr. US Senate
April Arnold
Alexander Arvizu, Ambassador (ret), Department of State
Elena Augustine
Frank Aum
Sebastian Bae, Georgetown University
Kevin Bankston, Truman National Security Fellow
Komal Bazaz Smith, international development professional
Jenna Ben-Yehuda, Truman National Security Project
Chidi Blyden, Culturally Bound
Dr. David Bray, Atlantic Council, Geotech Center
Newton Campbell, American University
Pam Campos-Palema, Working Families Party
Malenereynee Carr, Department of State
Michael Carson
Philip Caruso
Katrina Chan
Ben Chang, Princeton University
Chen-Lu Chang, ICAP Fellows Association
Ravi Chaudhary, Fmr. Commissioner, President's Advisory Commission on AAPIs
Michael CheKim, Department of State
Elizabeth Chen, Jamestown Foundation
Hannah Cho
Sam Cho
Andrew Choi
Grace Choi, New York City Government
Stone Conroy
Adom Cooper
Desirée Cormier Smith
Alexia D'Arco, Fmr. Department of State & Office of Secretary of Defense
Chandrima Das
Ruth A. Davis, Fmr. U.S. Ambassador
Sudila De Silva
Tino Dinh
Theo Dolan
Rana Dotson, ICAP Fellows Association
Benjamin Dubow, CEPA
Zarina Durrani
Ashley Fox
Abdirizak Farah, Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security
Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, The Citadel & Quilliam Foundation
Chelsea Geier, Department of State
Khashayar Ghashghai
Libia Gil
Jay Gilliam, Truman National Security Fellow
Matt Glazer, Blue Sky Partners & Trinity University
Abigail Golden-Vazquez, ally
Andrew Gonzalez, Omelas
Gian Gozum, Department of State
Naima Green-Riley
Christopher Gundermann
Suchita Gururaj
Kristen Hajduk, George Mason University National Security Institute
Pamela Hamamoto, U.S. Ambassador (ret), Department of State
Sarah Elaine Harrison
Razi Hashmi, Truman National Security Fellow
Thomas Hendrix, Veteran, Green Beret
Adam Hesch, Navy Veteran
Shannon Hiller, Princeton University
Shahrazad Hired
Jeffrey Hornung, RAND Corporation
Evanna Hu, Atlantic Council & Omelas
Esther Im
Shin Inouye, Fmr. Press Secretary & Acting Senior Advisor, USCIS, Department of Homeland Security
Arun Iyer
Igor Jablokov, Industry
Avi Jacobson, Truman National Security Project Defense Council
Ali Jafri
Deborah James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force
Bonnie Jenkins, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation
Malaika Jeter
Tony Johnson
Kamal Kalsi, Sikh American Veterans Alliance
Ann Kambara, Foreign Service Officer (ret.)
Heera Kamboj
Elsa Kania, AAPI Ally
Warren Katz, Techstars
Laura Khor, Consultant
David Kim, US Forces Korea
Ellen Kim, Department of State
Annie Kleiman, US Air Force
Tyna Korcz
Samantha Ku
Harrison Koh
Raymond Kuo
Lorand Laskai, Yale Law School
Jason Lee, Asian American Federal Employees for Nondiscrimination
Jean Lee, Wilson Center
Ryan Lee, USAID
Shanah Lee
Sung Min Lee, USAID OIG
George LeMeur, Concerned Citizen, Green Beret
Jonathan Leo, US Navy
Robert Levinson, Lt. Col. USAF (ret)
Chenlin Li, Department of Energy
Joanne Lin
Edward Loo, Senior Foreign Service Officer (ret)
Nick Loui, PeakMetrics
Ross Luo
Christopher Ma, CNA
Michael Madrid
Hansen Mak, Army Veteran and national security professional
Shaila Manyam, Former FSO; current public affairs professor
Josh Marcuse
Victor Marsh, Fmr. Foreign Service Officer, 2007-2015
Shirley Martey Hargis, Oxford Diplomatic Society at the University of Oxford
Mark Mitchell, Fmr. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense, SOLIC
Jasun Moy
Christina Nemr
Nazak Nikakhtar, Fmr. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis
John Noh
Mintaro Oba, International Monetary Fund
Douglas Ollivant, New America
Sara Ong
Hui Hui Ooi
Nima Patel Edwards, ICAP Fellows Association
Barry Pavel
Tony Perez, Highlight Technologies
Minh-Thu Pham, Connect Frontier, LLC
Hong-Phong Pho, Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration
Graham Plaster, defense innovation mentor
Michael Pozmantier
Nathan Ramia
Sammy Rangel, Life After Hate
Jaden Risner
Lindsay Rodman, LCWINS
Maryum Saifee
Tawni Sasaki
Aaron Sayama, The Aspen Institute
Nicole Sbitani
Ryan Schaffer, Japanese-America Society of Washington DC
Lucas F. Schleusener, Out in National Security
Jacob Shapiro, Princeton University
Matt Sheehan, The Paulson Institute
Joshua Shen, Department of State
Justin Sherman, Atlantic Council
Jennifer Shin, Department of State
Jaidev Singh
David Shullman
DJ Skelton
Albert Smith, Department of State
Ashley Sogge, University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
Steven Song, Department of the Army
Camille Stewart, Diversity in National Security Network
Amy Studdart
Wei Su, U.S. Army civilian retiree
Hannah Suh
Tait Sye, Fmr. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services
Nanako Tamaru, Peace and Security Collaborative
Stephanie Tom, Californian Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Thao Tran
Atman Trivedi, Atlantic Council
Clara Tsao
Hai Tu, US Army
Annie Tulann
Xiaobin Tuo, Lt. Cmdr., US Coast Guard
Tiffany Venmahavong
Lius Vertiz, SIGAR
Frederick Vincenzo, Atlantic Council
James Walker, Industry
Jason Wang
Laurie A. Watkins, Truman National Security Project
Bryon L. Williams
Oleksandra Williams
Eric Wong, Foreign Service Officer, Department of State
William Wu, House Permanent-Select Committee on Intelligence
John Yang, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Rebecca Yang, Fmr. Foreign Service Officer; Truman National Security Fellow
Michael Young
Dov S. Zakheim, Fmr. Undersecretary of Defense
Olivia Zetter
Pepe Zhang, Atlantic Council
We are foreign policy and national security professionals, including active and retired military members, diplomats, civilian government employees, government contractors, intelligence officers, investors, scientists, and academics. We are Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who come from diverse backgrounds, from third-generation Chinese-Americans whose ancestors sought more opportunities and labored to build the vital infrastructure of America’s westward expansion, to first-generation immigrants whose parents wanted to achieve the American Dream. We are allies and community members united by our commitment to America, and we are bound by a collective mission to make our country a better and more secure place.
As a community, it has been heart-wrenching to hear--and personally experience--the latest surge of hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans across our beloved country, the same country for which thousands of Asian-Americans have fought and died. The perpetuation of this prejudice has only intensified under the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical and economic strains and racial polarization it has surfaced. Simultaneously, the xenophobia that is spreading as U.S. policy concentrates on great power competition has exacerbated suspicions, microaggressions, discrimination, and blatant accusations of disloyalty simply because of the way we look. Many of us have been targeted because we are either ethnically Chinese or simply look Asian. This is not to dismiss credible counterintelligence concerns as evidenced through indictments of U.S. citizens—some of whom are White—spying for China. Treating all Asian-Americans working in national security with a broad stroke of suspicion, rather than seeing us as valuable contributors, is counterproductive to the greater mission of securing the homeland. As members and allies of the AAPI community, we acknowledge that Asian Americans are intrinsic to the fabric of American society.
Pertaining specifically to the current state of affairs, Chinese-Americans are America’s greatest asset in promoting improved understanding and providing a unique bulwark to counter malign Chinese economic, military and political aggression. Not only do they have the linguistic and cultural intelligence to better understand the other side, but many of them possess the expertise and creativity to find innovative solutions to various issues within US-China relations. In an environment where most security-cleared professionals are prevented from travel, cultural exchange, and research with China, diaspora community members have the perspectives and sophistication vital to crafting creative policy solutions to complex, interdisciplinary challenges.
Asian-Americans have also contributed to irregular and unconventional activities. Similar to how the U.S. military opened its ranks to foreign nationals to defeat the Axis Powers in WWII and allowed immigrants to become some of the first Green Berets, we can leverage our diverse backgrounds to increase the U.S.’s strategic advantage. We must recall and learn from painful elements of American history, when hostilities abroad resulted in undue prejudice and groundless suspicion at home, culminating, for instance, in the internment of Japanese-Americans. No American should be asked to prove their loyalty, absent evidence to the contrary. We as Asian-Americans are integral in combatting and securing America’s collective cognitive security.
These are just a few ways that Asian-Americans are contributing to the U.S.’s national security. We must recognize that our diversity is a critical asset in protecting this nation as we not only uphold our country’s founding democratic principles, but also work towards an America where all of our children will, as Martin Luther King extolled to all Americans, “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
For we embody the American spirit. We are proud Americans, and we love what America stands for: democracy and freedom.
SIGNED,
Bryan Aaron Jr.
Lalitha Adury
Judi Rhee Alloway, Women's Biz Coop
David Anderson, Department of State
Mark Appleton, Fmr. US Senate
April Arnold
Alexander Arvizu, Ambassador (ret), Department of State
Elena Augustine
Frank Aum
Sebastian Bae, Georgetown University
Kevin Bankston, Truman National Security Fellow
Komal Bazaz Smith, international development professional
Jenna Ben-Yehuda, Truman National Security Project
Chidi Blyden, Culturally Bound
Dr. David Bray, Atlantic Council, Geotech Center
Newton Campbell, American University
Pam Campos-Palema, Working Families Party
Malenereynee Carr, Department of State
Michael Carson
Philip Caruso
Katrina Chan
Ben Chang, Princeton University
Chen-Lu Chang, ICAP Fellows Association
Ravi Chaudhary, Fmr. Commissioner, President's Advisory Commission on AAPIs
Michael CheKim, Department of State
Elizabeth Chen, Jamestown Foundation
Hannah Cho
Sam Cho
Andrew Choi
Grace Choi, New York City Government
Stone Conroy
Adom Cooper
Desirée Cormier Smith
Alexia D'Arco, Fmr. Department of State & Office of Secretary of Defense
Chandrima Das
Ruth A. Davis, Fmr. U.S. Ambassador
Sudila De Silva
Tino Dinh
Theo Dolan
Rana Dotson, ICAP Fellows Association
Benjamin Dubow, CEPA
Zarina Durrani
Ashley Fox
Abdirizak Farah, Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security
Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, The Citadel & Quilliam Foundation
Chelsea Geier, Department of State
Khashayar Ghashghai
Libia Gil
Jay Gilliam, Truman National Security Fellow
Matt Glazer, Blue Sky Partners & Trinity University
Abigail Golden-Vazquez, ally
Andrew Gonzalez, Omelas
Gian Gozum, Department of State
Naima Green-Riley
Christopher Gundermann
Suchita Gururaj
Kristen Hajduk, George Mason University National Security Institute
Pamela Hamamoto, U.S. Ambassador (ret), Department of State
Sarah Elaine Harrison
Razi Hashmi, Truman National Security Fellow
Thomas Hendrix, Veteran, Green Beret
Adam Hesch, Navy Veteran
Shannon Hiller, Princeton University
Shahrazad Hired
Jeffrey Hornung, RAND Corporation
Evanna Hu, Atlantic Council & Omelas
Esther Im
Shin Inouye, Fmr. Press Secretary & Acting Senior Advisor, USCIS, Department of Homeland Security
Arun Iyer
Igor Jablokov, Industry
Avi Jacobson, Truman National Security Project Defense Council
Ali Jafri
Deborah James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force
Bonnie Jenkins, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation
Malaika Jeter
Tony Johnson
Kamal Kalsi, Sikh American Veterans Alliance
Ann Kambara, Foreign Service Officer (ret.)
Heera Kamboj
Elsa Kania, AAPI Ally
Warren Katz, Techstars
Laura Khor, Consultant
David Kim, US Forces Korea
Ellen Kim, Department of State
Annie Kleiman, US Air Force
Tyna Korcz
Samantha Ku
Harrison Koh
Raymond Kuo
Lorand Laskai, Yale Law School
Jason Lee, Asian American Federal Employees for Nondiscrimination
Jean Lee, Wilson Center
Ryan Lee, USAID
Shanah Lee
Sung Min Lee, USAID OIG
George LeMeur, Concerned Citizen, Green Beret
Jonathan Leo, US Navy
Robert Levinson, Lt. Col. USAF (ret)
Chenlin Li, Department of Energy
Joanne Lin
Edward Loo, Senior Foreign Service Officer (ret)
Nick Loui, PeakMetrics
Ross Luo
Christopher Ma, CNA
Michael Madrid
Hansen Mak, Army Veteran and national security professional
Shaila Manyam, Former FSO; current public affairs professor
Josh Marcuse
Victor Marsh, Fmr. Foreign Service Officer, 2007-2015
Shirley Martey Hargis, Oxford Diplomatic Society at the University of Oxford
Mark Mitchell, Fmr. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense, SOLIC
Jasun Moy
Christina Nemr
Nazak Nikakhtar, Fmr. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis
John Noh
Mintaro Oba, International Monetary Fund
Douglas Ollivant, New America
Sara Ong
Hui Hui Ooi
Nima Patel Edwards, ICAP Fellows Association
Barry Pavel
Tony Perez, Highlight Technologies
Minh-Thu Pham, Connect Frontier, LLC
Hong-Phong Pho, Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration
Graham Plaster, defense innovation mentor
Michael Pozmantier
Nathan Ramia
Sammy Rangel, Life After Hate
Jaden Risner
Lindsay Rodman, LCWINS
Maryum Saifee
Tawni Sasaki
Aaron Sayama, The Aspen Institute
Nicole Sbitani
Ryan Schaffer, Japanese-America Society of Washington DC
Lucas F. Schleusener, Out in National Security
Jacob Shapiro, Princeton University
Matt Sheehan, The Paulson Institute
Joshua Shen, Department of State
Justin Sherman, Atlantic Council
Jennifer Shin, Department of State
Jaidev Singh
David Shullman
DJ Skelton
Albert Smith, Department of State
Ashley Sogge, University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
Steven Song, Department of the Army
Camille Stewart, Diversity in National Security Network
Amy Studdart
Wei Su, U.S. Army civilian retiree
Hannah Suh
Tait Sye, Fmr. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services
Nanako Tamaru, Peace and Security Collaborative
Stephanie Tom, Californian Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Thao Tran
Atman Trivedi, Atlantic Council
Clara Tsao
Hai Tu, US Army
Annie Tulann
Xiaobin Tuo, Lt. Cmdr., US Coast Guard
Tiffany Venmahavong
Lius Vertiz, SIGAR
Frederick Vincenzo, Atlantic Council
James Walker, Industry
Jason Wang
Laurie A. Watkins, Truman National Security Project
Bryon L. Williams
Oleksandra Williams
Eric Wong, Foreign Service Officer, Department of State
William Wu, House Permanent-Select Committee on Intelligence
John Yang, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Rebecca Yang, Fmr. Foreign Service Officer; Truman National Security Fellow
Michael Young
Dov S. Zakheim, Fmr. Undersecretary of Defense
Olivia Zetter
Pepe Zhang, Atlantic Council
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