* General Scott Miller- NATO/Afghanistan, Commander
* General Frank McKenzie-US Forces/Middle East, Commander
* GENERAL MARK MILLEY- JOINT CHIEFS, CHAIRMAN <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<---------------------------------------
--- All recommended leaving (Trump's) 2500 troop force in place during the evacuation.
In addition, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin relayed their concerns to the President, adding that removing the troops would take away any modicum of stability the US could hope for.
As Biden weighed a full exit from the country this spring, top military leaders advocated for keeping a small U.S. presence on the ground made up primarily of special operations forces and paramilitary advisers, arguing that a force of a few thousand troops was needed to keep the Taliban in check and prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a haven for terrorists, according to nine former and current U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.
- (2500 is the magic number)
Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the four-star commanders of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Central Command and Special Operations Command, were emphatic proponents of this strategy, the current and former officials said, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive planning.
politico.com/news/2021/04/14/pentagon-biden-team-overrode-afghanistan-481556
But in the end, Biden and his top national security deputies did what no previous president has done successfully — they overrode the brass.
“President Biden has made a judgment that those are manageable concerns and not as important as drawing American participation to an end, and so everybody shut up and did it,” said Kori Schake, the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute.
Asked during a visit to NATO on Wednesday whether the military supported the decision to withdraw, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the decision-making process was “inclusive.”
“Their voices were heard and their concerns taken into consideration as the president made his decision,” Austin said. “But now the decision has been made, I call upon them to lead their forces ... through this transition.”
Col. Dave Butler, a spokesperson for Milley, said "senior officers were afforded ample opportunity to give advice."
"Their advice was listened to and closely considered as part of a rigorous national security decision making process," he said.
But behind the scenes, it is Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan who are truly “running the Pentagon,” according to two former officials familiar with the discussions.
“The Pentagon is not making these decisions,” one of the people said.
* General Frank McKenzie-US Forces/Middle East, Commander
* GENERAL MARK MILLEY- JOINT CHIEFS, CHAIRMAN <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<---------------------------------------
--- All recommended leaving (Trump's) 2500 troop force in place during the evacuation.
In addition, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin relayed their concerns to the President, adding that removing the troops would take away any modicum of stability the US could hope for.
As Biden weighed a full exit from the country this spring, top military leaders advocated for keeping a small U.S. presence on the ground made up primarily of special operations forces and paramilitary advisers, arguing that a force of a few thousand troops was needed to keep the Taliban in check and prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a haven for terrorists, according to nine former and current U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.
- (2500 is the magic number)
Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the four-star commanders of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Central Command and Special Operations Command, were emphatic proponents of this strategy, the current and former officials said, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive planning.
politico.com/news/2021/04/14/pentagon-biden-team-overrode-afghanistan-481556
But in the end, Biden and his top national security deputies did what no previous president has done successfully — they overrode the brass.
“President Biden has made a judgment that those are manageable concerns and not as important as drawing American participation to an end, and so everybody shut up and did it,” said Kori Schake, the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute.
Asked during a visit to NATO on Wednesday whether the military supported the decision to withdraw, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the decision-making process was “inclusive.”
“Their voices were heard and their concerns taken into consideration as the president made his decision,” Austin said. “But now the decision has been made, I call upon them to lead their forces ... through this transition.”
Col. Dave Butler, a spokesperson for Milley, said "senior officers were afforded ample opportunity to give advice."
"Their advice was listened to and closely considered as part of a rigorous national security decision making process," he said.
But behind the scenes, it is Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan who are truly “running the Pentagon,” according to two former officials familiar with the discussions.
“The Pentagon is not making these decisions,” one of the people said.
