Annual Report 2016

NoendorsementofSpiritofAmericabytheUSGovernmentoritspersonnelisintendedorimplied.

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Founded in 2003, Spirit of America (SoA) is a 501c3 tax-exempt public charity.Ourmission is to support thesafety and success of American troops and diplomats and the local people they want to help. SoA providesassistanceinresponsetolocalneedsidentifiedbydeployedUStroopsanddiplomats.Weapplyourresourcesatthe intersection of security, humanitarian need, and US national interest. This support makes our deployedpersonnel safer andmore successful in theirmissions and helps local people not reached by large-scale aidprograms.Atthesametime,weprovideAmericanswithanopportunitytoconnectwithandsupporttheworkof those who serve abroad, a connection that leads to a more well-informed public and more effective USengagementintheworld.In2016,SpiritofAmericacontinuedtofocusonfourmajorglobalsecurityandstabilitychallenges,allidentifiedastopprioritiesbydeployedmilitarycommandersanddiplomats:

1. Supportingthecounter-IslamicStateeffortthroughouttheMiddleEast,withanemphasisonprovidingcriticalhumanitarianassistanceandenhancingUS-advisedpartners’capacityinbothSyriaandIraq;

2. Countering Islamic extremism inWestAfrica,workingwithUS teams to confront the constellation ofviolentextremistactorsthreateningregionalsecurityandstability;

3. Supporting US missions to counter Transnational Criminal Organizations and Drug TraffickingOrganizations in Central and South America,with a particular focus on countering youth recruitmentintothosegroups;

4. DeterringRussianaggression inEasternEurope, specifically inUkraine,whereweworkedwith theUSEmbassyonprojectsdesignedtocounterpervasiveRussianpropagandaefforts.

Inaddition, SpiritofAmericaprovidedassistance in response toUSpriorities in several countries in theAsia-Pacificregion.Throughoutthecourseof2016,SpiritofAmerica’sall-veteranfieldteamdesignedandimplemented94projectsin34countries.

SpiritofAmericaProjectlocations,2016

NoendorsementofSpiritofAmericabytheUSGovernmentoritspersonnelisintendedorimplied.

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Severalmedia outlets highlighted Spirit ofAmerica in 2016. Both theWall Street Journal andNational PublicRadioreportedextensivelyonourworktocounterRussianpropagandainUkraine,discussingboththelaunchofArmyFMaswellastheprovisionofhumanitarianassistanceonthefrontlines.In addition, Spirit of America’swork in support ofUS SpecialOperations Forces (SOF) in Eastern EuropewashighlightedintheJanuary-June2016editionofSpecialWarfareMagazine,theprofessionalpublicationofArmySpecialOperations.

SpiritofAmericaalsowelcomedanewmemberoftheAdvisoryBoardin2016:RearAdmiralBrianLosey,UnitedStatesNavy(Ret.)FormercommanderofUSNavySpecialWarfareCommand“Spirit of America affords a truly unique opportunity to have a direct impact on thesecurity andeffectivenessof our Soldiers, Sailors,AirmenandMarinesdeployed to themost complex, dynamic, and violent environments in the world today. OurServicemembersstrivetoinstillsecurityandstabilityinareasseverelyimpactedbyalack

of legitimate opportunity, a dearth of adequate support from governments, and the influences of violentextremists,insurgents,militantsandcriminals.SpiritofAmericaisagoldstandardinprivate-publicpartnerships.Ithighlights thecritical roleofprivatesector leadershipandsupport ineffectivelycarryingAmerica'sgoodwillandmessagewherethestakesarehigh.”

NoendorsementofSpiritofAmericabytheUSGovernmentoritspersonnelisintendedorimplied.

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SELECTEDPROJECTEXAMPLESIraqandSyria

TheUnitedStatesanditscoalitionpartnersarefocusedondefeatingtheIslamicStateandendingtheextremistgroup’s reign of terror in Iraq and Syria. As the campaign progresses, US Special Operations Forces haveidentifiedseveralcriticallocalneedstoSpiritofAmerica.Inresponse,SoAhasprovidedmetaldetectorsandfirstaidkitstohelplocalpartnersfindIEDsandunexplodedordnance and treat casualties. And,we have provided critical assistance to improve the lives ofwar-ravagedcommunities. In one example of this support, SoA provided a generator to restore power to one wing of ahospitalinSyriasolocaldoctorscouldprovidelifesavingcare.Result:ThelivesandlimbsofUStroops,theirpartners,andlocalcivilianshavebeensaved.And,thebasicneedsof local communities have been addressed, both improving their quality of life and helping prevent aninsurgencyfromdeveloping.Mali

Malihasbeenunderattackbyextremistgroupsforyears,culminatinginafull-scalerebellionin2012.Thecountryremainsunderthreatfromthesegroups,asthegovernmentstrivestorestorestabilityandsecuritythroughoutMali.TheUSteamworkinginthecountryidentifiedakeypartnerinthiseffort,andonethatwasalsoprotectingacriticalresource:therangersprotectingoneofthefewremainingherdsofWestAfricanelephants,aherdwhosetusksareprizedbyextremistgroupsseekingtosellthemtofundtheirattacks.

NoendorsementofSpiritofAmericabytheUSGovernmentoritspersonnelisintendedorimplied.

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SpiritofAmericaprovidedtherangerswithbasicsuppliestohelpthembothprotecttheelephantsaswellaspatrolavastundergovernedspacewhereextremistgroupsplaguedthelocalpopulation.Weprovidedcameras,Camelbakhydrationsystems,GPSdevices,andbinocularstosupporttheircriticalwork.Result:Therangersareabletopatroltheirassignedterritorylongerandmoreeffectively,helpingthemprotectlocalcommunitiesandtheelephantherd.Thisdeniedextremistgroupsfundingforfurtherattacks,madethevulnerablepopulationsafer,andsupportedakeyconservationeffort.Colombia

TheUSandColombiangovernmentsarepartneringtostopcriminalanddrugtraffickingorganizationsfromdestabilizingthecountryandprovidingfundingtoextremistgroupsthatthreatenpeaceandsecurityintheWesternHemisphere.AUSArmyteamidentifiedawaytobothaddressacriticalpublichealthemergency–theZikavirus–andincreasestabilityinanisolatedregionofColombia.SpiritofAmericarespondedbyprovidingmosquitonettingandfumigationsupplies,allowingtheUSteamandtheirlocalpartnerstoridavulnerablecommunityofathreattopublichealthandhelpingdeveloprelationshipswithkeylocalleaders.Result:LocalfamiliesareprotectedagainsttheterribleeffectsoftheZikavirus,communitieshavegreaterfaithintheirgovernment’sabilitytocarefortheirneeds,andrelationshipsbetweentheUnitedStatesanditsColombianpartnerarestronger.Ukraine

NoendorsementofSpiritofAmericabytheUSGovernmentoritspersonnelisintendedorimplied.

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TheUnitedStatesishelpingitsstrategicpartner,Ukraine,preserveitssovereigntyandendawarwithRussian-backedseparatists.TheUSEmbassyidentifiedpervasiveRussianpropagandaintheeasternwarzoneashavingaparticularlydestabilizingimpactasitsappedthemoraleofUkrainiansoldiersfightingfortheirfreedom.SpiritofAmericarespondedtothisneedbyprovidingstart-upfundingforArmyFM,aUkrainianradiostationmeeting thebasic informationandentertainmentneedsofUkrainiansoldierson the front lines.Weprovidedstudioequipmentandthreetransmittersinthewarzone.Result:ArmyFMdrasticallyimprovedthemoraleoftheUkrainiantroopsandcreatedamuchcloserconnectionbetween them, their leadership, and the restof the country.Basedon the resultsof Spirit ofAmerica’spilotprogram, the Ukrainian government allocated resources from their already strained budget to expand theprogramthroughoutthecountry.

* * * ThankyouforjoiningusaswesupportthesafetyandsuccessofdeployedAmericansandthelocalpeopleandpartnerstheyseektohelp.Byleveragingresourcesfromtheprivatesector,SpiritofAmericafillsanincreasinglyvitalgapinournationalsecurity.Aswelooktothefuture,theneedforthiscriticalflexible,agilecapability–andthewholeofnationapproachitrepresents–hasneverbeenclearer.Ourmen andwomenon the frontlines of America’s security and stability efforts deserve every resource ournation has to offer, and Spirit of America represents one important facet of that holistic approach.We trulyvalueyourpartnershipinthiseffortandlookforwardtocontinuingthisworktogetherintheyearstocome.Allthebest,TheSpiritofAmericaTeam