Members of The Committee to Support and Defend are calling for the resignation and retirement of the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) based on negligence in performing their duties primarily involving events surrounding the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
As principal military advisors to the CINC/President, the SECDEF and CJCS should have recommended against the hasty withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan and the closure of the important power projection base Bagram without adequate plans and forces in place to conduct the entire operation in an orderly fashion.
If they did not do everything within their authority to stop the hasty withdrawal, they should resign. Conversely, if they did do everything within their ability to persuade the CINC/President to not hastily exit the country without ensuring the safety of our citizens and Afghans loyal to America, then they should have resigned in protest as a matter of conscience and public statement.
The consequences of this disaster are enormous and will reverberate for decades. Americans remain in Afghanistan and are unable to move safely to evacuation points. They are de facto hostages of the Taliban. Friendly Afghans are already suffering death and torture. This will result in a human tragedy of major proportions. Billions of dollars in advanced military equipment and supplies have fallen into the hands of our enemies. The impact to America’s military is catastrophic.
America is now seen and will be seen for many years, as an unreliable partner in any multinational agreement or operation. Trust in the United States is irreparably damaged.
The weakness we displayed in Afghanistan emboldens our adversaries to move against America. China benefits the most from our strategic errors followed by Russia, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and others. Terrorists around the world are bolstered and able to pass freely into our country through our open border with Mexico.
In interviews, congressional testimony, and public statements it has become clear that top leaders in our military place mandatory emphasis on PC “wokeness” related training which is harmful to unit cohesion, readiness, and war fighting capability. The U.S. military exists to fight and win our nation’s wars. This must be the sole focus of our top military leaders.
A fundamental principle in the military is holding those in charge responsible and accountable for their actions or inactions. There must be accountability at all levels for this tragic and avoidable debacle.
For these reasons we call on the SECDEF Austin and the CJCS General Milley to resign.
%%your signature%%
