Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, who led US troops' Afghanistan exit, backs Hill investigation

Mike Brest

March 23, 11:14 PM March 23, 11:14 PM

Retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, formerly the leader of U.S. Central Command, oversaw America's military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, nearly 20 years after the 9/11 attacks plunged the nation into a long-term commitment. But the Afghanistan troop withdrawal has long been a sore subject for House Republicans, who hold a narrow 222-213 majority and are now in a position to hold oversight hearings.

House Republicans are, among other moves, asking the Biden administration for documents about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. In the final weeks of the U.S. presence in the landlocked Central Asian country, the Taliban secured shocking territorial gains. Biden had to order troops to protect an airport perimeter to evacuate U.S. Embassy staff.

REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL TO BE RELEASED BY MID-APRIL, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

Washington Examiner: The House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the withdrawal earlier this month — did you happen to pay attention to it?

McKenzie: I did not get an opportunity to examine it closely, no. I didn't.

Washington Examiner: Two of the six witnesses were service members who were on the ground at Abbey Gate. One of them, Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, lost limbs in the ISIS-K bombing, and both he and another service member at the gate discussed what they described as a lack of accountability. Can you talk about accountability?

McKenzie: Well, I'm not familiar with what they had to say, so there's not much I can really give you on that. I can tell you that we were focused very closely on what was going on in and around Kabul on that day — and the loss of life, casualties, tragic. Everybody that was associated with that is going to live with that for the rest of their lives, no more than those young men and women who were on the ground there. But I can tell you that we did everything we could within our power to protect them and to carry out the mission that we were given.

Washington Examiner: Sgt. Vargas-Andrews said that he and the service members he was with spotted the ISIS-K bomber ahead of the bombing and notified the people in their command. Are you aware of any service members who thought they identified the bomber ahead of time?

McKenzie: I'm not aware of that. And I'm not aware of any reporting from any source any time that would corroborate that.

Washington Examiner: This was the first of what's expected to be many hearings on Capitol Hill. Tell me about your expectations from Congress regarding oversight.

McKenzie: Well, I would hope that — first of all, I think it's a good thing. I think oversight is a good and necessary thing. So I think it's commendable that we're doing this. I think that that's the function that the Congress provides. I would hope that as they execute this oversight, they will do several things. First, they will examine the totality of the war, which lasted over 20 years and involved multiple administrations. They will examine all of the agencies of the executive branch that participated in these operations over this 20-year period. Then, I hope they would also examine their own responsibilities over the 20-year period.

Washington Examiner: How does the Pentagon go about holding itself accountable for a 20-year-long war?

McKenzie: So, I think that the secretary of defense has commissioned at least one study on the endgame of the war. But I think that there will be a deliberate process that looks at the totality of our experience in that war. We do a pretty good job of after-action reports. And so I would assume that's going on. I'm not in a position now to know what actions are being taken. But again, there's a lot more here than military equity in this operation. A lot of other parts of the U.S. government and the international community bears responsibility for what happened in Afghanistan. So I don't think it's possible to focus on one element of it and draw global conclusions from that. I think you need to look at everybody who was there, all the entities that were there, what they did and didn't do, and how effective they were.

Washington Examiner: How far back in the war should they go?

McKenzie: I think you should start at the very beginning. I think you should look at decisions that were made when we first went into Afghanistan, should go back to the Bonn conference, should do a variety of things. There are all kinds of things to take a look at there, and there are places to go to do that examination.

Washington Examiner: Can you talk about the terror threat from Afghanistan since the U.S. left?

McKenzie: Well, I think what we've seen from the Taliban is a systematic deconstruction of society to reduce it to a medieval or even a premedieval state erosion of human rights — human rights, education, and everything else that goes into a modern functioning society, even if it's not a society on the Western model. All of that's being systematically deconstructed by the Taliban. As for what's going on there in terms of their ability to deal with terrorist platforms, I would look no further than the statement from [CENTCOM's current commander,] Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla's testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he warned about the possibility of external attacks by ISIS within the next six months or so. So I would defer to the current commander for an opinion on that.

Washington Examiner: Talk about your opinion on how the U.S. can handle it going forward.

McKenzie: So I said before, it would be very difficult, not impossible, and I think that's the way to describe it. It will be very difficult to maintain pressure, counterterrorism pressure in Afghanistan over the horizon. Nothing's happened since then to make me change that opinion.

Washington Examiner: Has the Afghan withdrawal had an effect on current events, like with China and Russia?

McKenzie: I think our actions in August 2021 convinced potential opponents that we were weak and feckless, and they may have drawn certain conclusions from that. I believe that they were wrong in those conclusions, that we would not stand behind our friends, that we couldn't be depended on in a crisis, and that we would turn and run from places of danger. That has proven not to be the case in Ukraine, and I'm very proud of the actions that the United States and our partners have taken to support Ukraine against Russia's unjust and aggressive war.

Washington Examiner: How does the U.S. vs. China and Russia feud play out regarding China's consideration of providing lethal aid to Russia?

McKenzie: I think should China provide lethal aid to Russia, that would be an act of shocking irresponsibility.

Washington Examiner: To go back to the Hill, would you testify in front of Congress? And what do you expect of your role as former CENTCOM commander as it relates to oversight?

McKenzie: I think Congress has a key role to play in oversight. I think we should welcome that oversight. It's the way our republic is designed. So they have a key role to play. So I welcome the oversight that they're going to provide here in the investigations they're going to do. As to my level of participation, I don't know, and I'm not willing to say now.

Austin makes unannounced visit to Iraq as 20-year anniversary of invasion approaches

Mike Brest

March 07, 06:57 AM March 07, 06:57 AM

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Iraq, where he reaffirmed the U.S.'s long-term commitment in the region.

Austin's trip makes him the highest-ranking Cabinet official to visit the country since the start of the Biden administration. He met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and is expected to meet other senior officials while he is in the country.

LLOYD AUSTIN EMBARKS ON TRIP TO MIDDLE EAST TO REASSURE ALLIES

The secretary said in a statement he's in Iraq to “reaffirm the US-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable and sovereign Iraq," according to the press pool.

Austin's visit comes weeks ahead of the 20-year anniversary of the U.S.'s invasion of Iraq in March 2003, which ultimately resulted in both the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the deaths of 185,000 and 208,000 Iraqi civilians, according to the Costs of War Project by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.

The defense secretary, who was the last commanding general of U.S. forces there after the invasion, is in the middle of a trip that includes stops in Jordan, Egypt and Israel.

His trip is designed to reaffirm to U.S. allies in the Middle East that the U.S. "remains committed to supporting their defense and increasing and strengthening the strategic partnerships with each of these countries," a senior Pentagon official told reporters on Friday, ahead of his departure.

The topic of Iran's ongoing maligned behavior is also a top issue for Austin to discuss with regional partners.

“He will obviously be speaking about the unprovoked war of choice by Russia and Ukraine,” the official added. “He will share his views about the imperative of increasing support to Ukraine now. He will also talk about the strategic implications of increasing Russian-Iranian military cooperation, which right now is killing Ukrainians but, eventually, will come back with significant and negative security consequences for the Middle East.”

Can America’s all-volunteer military survive a dearth of volunteers?

Jamie McIntyre

July 07, 11:00 PM July 07, 11:01 PM

America’s all-volunteer navy is in danger of getting an all-little volunteer armed service.

The motive: All of the military companies, other than for the very small Area Drive, are at chance of failing to meet up with their recruiting plans for this 12 months.

“While we are on observe to make our accession aims, this is arguably the most hard recruiting 12 months considering that the inception of the all-volunteer force," Lt. Gen. David Ottignon, deputy Maritime Corps commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, advised the Senate Armed Products and services Committee in April.

Army recruiters always experienced their get the job done reduce out for them, particularly in the 1990s when military services pay and gains, particularly for enlisted recruits, did not stack up to the civilian job industry.

Or in the 2000s, when the United States was in shooting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the pitfalls of being deployed to a combat zone were being true.

But something’s distinctive this time all-around.

In significant figures, younger people are simply just not inclined to be a part of the armed forces, explained retired Military Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Heart for Countrywide Defense.

“I see it as a systemic, very long-time period recruiting drought that is not likely to ameliorate whenever soon,” Spoehr advised the Washington Examiner. “People I speak to say this year is terrible, 2023 is going to be even worse, and you will find no indicating that 2024 is not heading to be worse nevertheless.”

All the expert services are having difficulties to attract new recruits, according to a report by NBC News past month, regardless of the gives of generous signing bonuses and, in the circumstance of the Military, peaceful entrance prerequisites.

The Military is in the deepest hole, admitting in March that it would have to shrink the dimensions of the active-responsibility force by 12,000 soldiers this yr, blaming a restricted position market with unemployment at 3.6%, as properly as coronavirus restrictions that saved recruiters out of substantial educational facilities, a prime source of enlisted recruits.

The united states is happy of its all-volunteer navy, which is unarguably the most effective-experienced, best-outfitted, most lethal fighting force in background.

From Earth War I and Environment War II and by way of the early 1970s, the U.S. applied conscription to fill the ranks of the armed forces, but when the unpopular Vietnam War finished, so did the draft.

When the Selective Services Process stays and males ought to nevertheless sign-up in just 30 days of their 18th birthday, there has been no draft considering that 1973.

Alternatively, the armed service has counted on patriotism, schooling added benefits, a quest for journey, and a willingness to sacrifice for the fantastic of the nation to draw in volunteers.

The final result in excess of the decades has been a resounding good results story, manufacturing a much more qualified, additional determined army that is the envy of the world.

But a confluence of societal changes and economic elements now threatens what has been the hallmark of America’s preeminent standing as the world’s greatest armed service.

More young folks are heading immediately to school out of superior school, fewer occur from people exactly where army company is a custom, and a reducing proportion of the target age array cannot meet up with the bodily physical fitness requirements or pass the background test for mental health and fitness challenges or prison offenses.

But the much larger challenge is that military services has misplaced its luster for Generation Z, which features individuals ages 18 to 25 who really feel like they have superior options, Spoehr argued.

“People do not truly see why they should serve their region, will not see any advantage for them, and to some degree, not even certain that their country is deserving of their provider, which is the most troubling component of all this to me,” Spoehr claimed.

As soon as one of the most dependable and revered U.S. institutions, the military’s track record has hit today’s hyperpartisan political environment.

A poll introduced by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Basis in November identified a spectacular drop in the amount of folks who said they have a fantastic offer of believe in and assurance in the army, down from 70% 3 decades ago to just 45%.

That was true throughout all big demographic subgroups, which includes age, gender, and social gathering affiliation. But most troubling for recruitment in the all-volunteer pressure, only 1-third of grown ups under 30 have large self-assurance in the military, down 20 factors since 2018.

“A great deal of individuals feel the armed forces is possibly woke and it really is being pursued as a social experiment or that it's a racist, extremist breeding floor,” Spoehr stated. “The middle ground, which the American armed forces has relished for virtually all of its existence, as not currently being considered as element of the political dimension, is eroding.”

So what is the reply?

Even though progressive Democrats are pushing for a improve to the regulation so that youthful gals and youthful men would have to register with the selective service, no one seriously thinks the draft is coming again anytime soon, barring an existential danger to the nation.

“It's just about like proposals to transform Social Safety. It really is radioactive. No just one is going to say, ‘Let's start drafting people once again,’” claimed Spoehr, who thinks the only way out may well be to reconnect youthful persons with the worth of provider in uniform.

“It's a cliche, but part of the answer is to reacquaint America with its armed service again — and not just recruiters, but to get younger men and women exposed to military people today at a young age ahead of they're large school seniors because at present significant school seniors by now know what they want to do,” he additional.

The so-known as civil-armed forces gap is expanding, as evidenced by a poll the Army done in March.

It showed popular misconceptions about what life in the Military is like, specially amongst the Gen Z goal audience.

Just about a third of Gen Zers feel most Military positions contain immediate combat — they really do not — and practically fifty percent really don't assume the Military permits time for recreation and hobbies — it does. Most were being unaware of education and learning benefits that provide entire school tuition, homebuying assistance, cost-free healthcare, parental leave, and early retirement soon after 20 a long time.

What they did say they want was a good wage, overall health insurance, paid time off, and to get the job done for an group with a “diverse workforce” that has a “positive affect on society.”

“Generation Z wishes this diverse kind of operate-existence equilibrium that infant boomers grew up with,” Spoehr mentioned. “This escalating civil-military gap, and I believe it is really finding even worse — it truly is a generational detail. Folks generally say the last era, but I assume this is the worst.”

The armed forces is in a main transformation from manned platforms to robotic ships and drone planes, which have to have far much less troops.

It may well be a future which is driven by requirement as much as system.

Jamie McIntyre is the Washington Examiner’s senior writer on protection and nationwide stability. His morning e-newsletter “Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense” is free of charge and out there by e-mail membership at dailyondefense.com.