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Milley and Austin head for Capitol Hill buzz saw

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Milley and Austin head for Capitol Hill buzz saw

 

 

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Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are set to square off with angry lawmakers this week as congressional probes into Afghanistan turn their focus toward the Pentagon brass’s actions during the chaotic withdrawal.

 

The hard questions won’t end there for the nation’s most senior military officer. Milley will almost certainly face questions about calls he made to reassure his Chinese counterpart late in former President Donald Trump’s term.

 

Milley and Austin testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday and in the House on Wednesday on the pullout from Afghanistan. They’ll be joined by Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East.

 

The trio will field questions from Democrats and Republicans upset over what they say was a sloppy withdrawal that saw the rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the disintegration of the government and armed forces, into which the U.S. poured billions of dollars arming and training. Both parties have also criticized the Biden administration for a rushed exit that left behind Americans and Afghans who partnered with U.S. forces.

 

Lawmakers are also clamoring for details about discarded weapons and equipment that fell into Taliban hands, as well as plans for how the U.S. will continue to evacuate American citizens and Afghan partners and keep terrorists groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS-K at bay.

 

ISIS-K was responsible for a suicide bombing at a gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and up to 200 civilians. The Pentagon had intelligence indicating an attack was imminent in the hours leading up to the bombing.

 

Members of the House and Senate also want an explanation as to why the U.S. left Bagram air base before the withdrawal was complete, a move they contend severely hampered the evacuation of at-risk Afghans and Americans from the country.

 

It is all part of a lengthy list of questions about the withdrawal and subsequent security situation that Senate and House Armed Services want answered publicly.

 

Republicans have largely blamed Biden for the mess, arguing that he ignored his military commanders’ advice. In remarks prepared ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, top Senate Armed Services Republican Jim Inhofe (Okla.) dinged Biden and argued the withdrawal and its aftermath “has expanded the threat of terrorism.”

 

“President Biden and his advisers didn’t listen to his combat commander. He didn’t listen to Congress. And he failed to anticipate what all of us knew would happen,” Inhofe plans to say.

 

“The administration needs to be honest: Because of President Biden’s disastrous decision, the terrorist threat to American families is rising significantly, while our ability to deal with these threats has been decimated,” he continued.

 

 

 

POLITICO

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