SECDEF Orders Afghan Accountability Review
In March of 2024 the top two military leaders who oversaw the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The hearing meant to assess the Biden administration’s role in the chaos that unfolded at the end of America’s longest war.
Gen. Mark Milley, the retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, who was the top U.S. general in the Middle East during the withdrawal, testified before the committee.
Asked if lack of prudent planning contributed to the chaos at the airport amid the evacuation efforts, Milley testified that the decision to execute a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO), which initiates the departure of civilians and nonessential troops, “came too late.”
McKenzie echoed Milley’s comments on what he conceded was a late call to evacuate, placing blame on the State Department.
Hegseth orders new panel to review US military withdrawal from Afghanistan
by Ellen Mitchell
The Pentagon is convening a new panel to review the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and previous investigations into the event, according to a new memo released Tuesday.
The memo, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, orders a “Special Review Panel” to examine prior investigations and analyze the decision-making that led to the chaotic and deadly departure, which happened under President Biden but was set in motion by President Trump in 2020 when he negotiated and signed a deal with the Taliban committing to an earlier timeline for the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
“Over the last three months, the Department has been engaged in a review of this catastrophic event in our military ‘s history,” Hegseth writes. “I have concluded that we need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people.”
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Heading the new Pentagon panel will be Sean Parnell, a top Hegseth advisor and spokesman, as well as an Afghanistan War veteran.
Hegseth charged Parnell’s team to thoroughly examine previous investigations, with ensuring ‘ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation.’
The only officer who ever suffered any career damage including some time in the brig was a Marine officer courageous enough to throw the bullshit flag. In a twist of fate that former Marine Lieutenant Colonel, Stuart Scheller, is one of the senior advisors on Parnell’s team.
LtCol Scheller was convicted of violating Article 88 (contempt toward officials), Article 89 (disrespect toward superior commissioned officers), Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer), Article 92 (dereliction in the performance of duties), Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and 27 specifications of Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman).
Karma is a bitch.
Category: Afghanistan, Big Pentagon, Government Incompetence
Every dog has his day and I think that a Devil Dog is fixin’ to have his. GET SOME, LTC Stu!
Heh. Somehow I doubt Stu’s name was simply pulled out of a hat.
I doubt he will go scorched earth on those responsible over both the withdrawal and his treatment received
a “Special Review Panel” to examine prior investigations”.
Why do I keep seeing a helicopter hovering over the Saigon
Embassy? What happened to that special review panel?
No one cared about anything in SEA at the time. The people didn’t want to hear any more about Vietnam. That wanted it over at any cost. The story quickly died out.
But this evacuation in Afghan was a total fuckup. Leaving all the equipment and losing lives. When it didn’t have to be. No one was overthrowing the country and time was not of the essence. It could have been done orderly.
Nothin’… that’s what happened about it. Done.
Americans were left behind in Afghanistan. Accountability is long past due!
“Twist of fate….” Subtle!
“…was set in motion by President Trump in 2020 when he negotiated and signed a deal with the Taliban committing to an earlier timeline for the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.”
Thing is, we KNOW. This has never been a secret, has never been kept a secret, and was part of the news before Trump left office the first time around. But to listen to the left now you’d think that somehow nobody was aware of this in the public sphere, and that somehow this makes the entire disastrous withdrawal HIS fault.
Note that the deal with the Taliban, under Trump, was for a troop DRAW DOWN, not an entire withdrawal…not an entire pull out and abandonment of Afghanistan and it’s armed forces. It was not a deal where Taliban terrorists would be welcome to participate in any security operations [as it turns out they were during this evacuation]. And it certainly didn’t agree to us abandoning all of that equipment on the ground at Bagram Airbase.
They’re struggling to blame it all on Trump’s plan, a plan they did not follow. Would his plan have been successful? We’ll never know and once Joe’s “plan” started, it no longer mattered.
Trump’s plan was to have people out in May, before the summer fighting season started. The Taliban would have still marched into Kabul at the same time, taken over the same amount of equipment, but our exit would not have looked like it was under pressure.
“Note that the deal with the Taliban, under Trump, was for a troop DRAW DOWN, not an entire withdrawal”
Got a link to that document? The only one I can find says—
“PART ONE
The United States is committed to withdraw from Afghanistan all military forces of the United States,
its allies, and Coalition partners, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security
contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel within fourteen (14) months following
announcement of this agreement, and will take the following measures in this regard:”
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf
It seems to me the only thing Biden changed was to delay the final withdrawal by about 90 days. In any case, there was plenty of time for the military and diplomatic bureaucrats to get their shit together and their people out. As far as I am concerned, that withdrawal decision by Biden was one of the very few things he did that I agree with. That withdrawal was at least a decade overdue.
Was overseas in April 1975 (Belgium) and in August 2021 (Korea)– shocked, horrified Americans, “I can’t believe we’re… “; not much changed in 46 years.
The C-5 that went down south of Saigon with all the children on. I guarded that plane the night before, Was at Udorn before flying to Saigon.
It’s pretty simple and obvious that 3 folks are the primary responsible persons. That is biden, miley and mckensie. Yeah the state dept does bear some responsibility but miley and mckensie were not unaware that biden was going to pull the forces out of the country before the date got there. They should have had their staffs plan for it and make the necessary prep before the date arrived.
… Don’t forget “SECDEF”. He was in the loop on this too.