Milley and McKenzie delayed decision making during Afghanistan withdrawal

Retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, former commander of U.S. Central Command, argued in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that the decision to allow non-combatant evacuations in the final stages of the U.S. war in Afghanistan was too late.

McKenzie, who commanded all U.S. forces in Afghanistan in the final stages of the war, has warned leaders and the Biden administration of all the dangers associated with the pace of military withdrawal, and the former general told lawmakers that such He pointed out that he had made a statement. He raised concerns with the State Department more than a month before the chaotic evacuation from Kabul airport.

McKenzie was particularly concerned that the State Department, which is responsible for coordinating the evacuation of American citizens and some Afghan allies, is lagging behind the pace of the Pentagon, which is overseeing the withdrawal of American troops and equipment from the country. Met.

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McKenzie said a faster pace of military withdrawal from the country could create problems, with the U.S. no longer able to provide security for the State Department’s evacuation or prevent a swift takeover of the country by the Taliban. pointed out that it cannot be done. The former commander presented plans for how to better coordinate operations, but said decisions to address such concerns came “too late” in the withdrawal process.

“Planning, vetting the plan, and coordinating the plan with the people who are actually doing the mission, the Department of Defense, is a completely different set of tasks,” McKenzie said.

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, listens during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on ending military operations in Afghanistan and planning for future counterterrorism operations on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, September 28, 2021, in Washington. (Sarahbeth Manny/The New York Times, Associated Press, Pool) (Sarahbeth Manny/The New York Times, Associated Press, Pool)

President Biden ordered the start of a non-combatant withdrawal (NEO) from Afghanistan on August 14th, ultimately making it the largest such operation ever undertaken by the US military. About 200,000 people have fled the country with the help of U.S. troops flooding into the Afghan capital, securing airports as planes transport people desperately trying to escape the looming Taliban rule.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A U.S. soldier holds up a sign stating gates are closed as hundreds of people collect documents near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, August 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Wali Saboun)

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Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley (retired) echoed McKenzie’s sentiments, arguing that despite the military’s best efforts and ultimate success in carrying out the order, the decision to authorize NEOs came “too late.” did.

However, the mission’s success was not without its costs, most notably a suicide bombing near the airport gate on August 26th that killed 182 people and injured more than 200 others. That’s what I did. The dead included 13 U.S. military personnel, the last of more than 2,000 casualties in America’s longest war.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley speaks to reporters after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday, May 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mr McKenzie and Mr Milley agreed that more could have been done to prevent the chaos in August, including potentially leaving around 2,500 troops behind to facilitate a more diplomatic end to the conflict. did.

On August 31, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of Hamid Karzai International Airport after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed. (Wali Sabaoun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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“I believe that if we had maintained that attitude, the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces would not have collapsed in August 2021,” Milley told lawmakers. “They were high-performance special forces capable of defending themselves and conducting operations as they always have been. And my assessment is that they probably posed a moderate to significant risk to the U.S. military. .But it’s worth the risk.”