The programs included in the administrations foreign aid requests are designed to meet the Soviet challenge as well as to provide assistance to the needy of the world. Military and security assistance provide friendly nations with immediate assistance in obtaining military equipment for their defense and economic support for domestic stability. Development assistance. both bilateral and multilateral. help developing countries carry out longer term development programs aimed at improving the lives of their people and creating sustained economic growth Our refugee and disaster assistance programs provide humanitarian support for those struck by circumstances beyond their control And finally. the State Department authorization allows our diplomatic corps to perform increasingly important and sometimes physically dangerous tasks around the world. Realistically. these programs. which we will be reviewing in detail. must been seen as complementary to the defense budget in terms of their impact on U.S. national security and the nature of the world which our country will face in the future. As important as these programs are. we also all know we are facing difficult economic circumstances. and it is imperative that we maintain as lean a Federal budget as possible in all areas.