Over the past decade, the United States has jump-started an historic health transformation in poor villages, communities, and countries worldwide. American engagement, in partnership with others, has saved and lifted human lives on a scale never known before. In the past, such impressive humanitarian gains might have been seen merely as 'soft, ' yet we now understand their benefits include advancing economic development and regional stability. More than ever, we realize that U.S. global health programs are a vital tool in a smart power approach to promoting U.S. interests around the world. It has also revealed how U.S. health investments advance America's standing and interests in the world.