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The embassies of China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran are operating as usual in Afghanistan while the almighty USA flees. There is nothing great about this. 13 American soldiers killed due to the dis-organized hasty retreat ordered by Biden who wanted to look like he has done something when the country remembers our dead on 9/11. On that date many Americans were murdered by terrorists. Now we can add 13 more to that list thanks to our incompetent President.
There is nothing great about this.
Britain and France indicated they will work with those nations in Afghanistan also.
Unvetted Afghan refugees freely running around chaotically on a base in Wisconsin.
Americans trying to leave told that the last military plane leaves in 15 minutes and do not come to the air port, because then the Taliban will round you up.
Taliban showing off looted helicopters and doing celebratory fire in the airport.
Ninety retired military generals and admirals are demanding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley resign
Calls for resignation 'based on negligence in performing their duties primarily involving events surrounding the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan'
Also said if Milley and Austin advised against withdrawal, they should have resigned if Biden didn't take their direction in protest of his leadership
Letter's signatories include Admiral John Poindexter, who served as President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser
Every single one of them faced similar debacles in their own careers, and none of them resigned.
So, are you defending Austin and Miley?
Out of curiosity, how do you know that every single one of these Flag Officers were directly involved in a similar disasters? If you have some inside info, please share. In the military, unlike in many civilian careers, they push “Being Responsible” and “Taking Responsibility” as a cornerstone of military core values…. I heard this as a lowly Private and up to when I was a Senior Non Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army.
So, let me get this straight, I was only a Grunt, so help me out here, so in today’s military, the most senior officers, in the entire U.S. Armed Forces, get a free pass for not following their own orders of “Being Responsible” and “Taking Responsibility,” is this how it now works?
If so, how can “they” hold a Private, a Sergeant, a Lieutenant, a Captain, a Major and so on “responsible” when they can’t hold themselves responsible?
Without question, this is probably some of the worst Senior Leadership examples within the last 75 years within the U.S. Armed Forces. Honestly, this will have far reaching and very damaging effects on the U.S. Military for for many years since now, how do we define “operational responsibility” and Political Responsibility?” Where does it start and where does it end? Are we now creating a “protected class of Flag Officers” who are not responsible for both the good and bad, when they’re are in command?
If so, the United States Military, as an institution, is in danger of throwing away one of this most important core values. And without these core values, the U.S. military will stop being the most powerful and professional military on this planet.
Back in the day, when a Flag Officer truly believed in something strongly, that involved the President’s approval, they stood their ground and in the end, if their ideal was ignored, strictly for political reasons, they would resign and step down.
The embassies of China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran are operating as usual in Afghanistan while the almighty USA flees. There is nothing great about this. 13 American soldiers killed due to the dis-organized hasty retreat ordered by Biden who wanted to look like he has done something when the country remembers our dead on 9/11. On that date many Americans were murdered by terrorists. Now we can add 13 more to that list thanks to our incompetent President.
There is nothing great about this.
There is an old saying: Good Enough For Government Work.
Well, this evacuation was good enough for government work. It was not, however, good enough for people who care about what they are doing. It was not good enough for people who care about getting the job done and done right. It was not good enough for people with pride and competence and integrity. It was not good enough for those private citizens who rescued 5,000 people using their own resources and determination. And it certainly WAS NOT good enough for those left behind or those who came home in caskets.
Those who were "left behind through no fault of their own"? Yeah. They were left behind because it was good enough for government work.
The embassies of China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran are operating as usual in Afghanistan while the almighty USA flees. There is nothing great about this. 13 American soldiers killed due to the dis-organized hasty retreat ordered by Biden who wanted to look like he has done something when the country remembers our dead on 9/11. On that date many Americans were murdered by terrorists. Now we can add 13 more to that list thanks to our incompetent President.
There is nothing great about this.
A US Embassy would have been a target for terrorists, there would be no operating as usual. I would expect getting volunteers for that embassy would have been difficult. We didn't keep an embassy in Vietnam after our withdrawal, this is no different.
On Feb. 15, 1989, General Gromov, commander of the Soviet troops, walked across the "Bridge of Friendship." Once reaching the USSR side, the general embraced his wife and turned to a TV crew and said, "That's it. Not one Soviet soldier or officer is behind my back."
During those last days, no shots were fired, no mad scrambles for the exits, no frantic calls for help, no helicopters evacuating diplomatic staff, and certainly no suicide bombings. Even in full retreat, the USSR was in complete control.
The American withdrawal did not have to be a bloody disaster. America, like the Soviets, possessed the diplomatic and military might to organize an orderly and peaceful transition. The difference between the two withdrawals is leadership. America's leadership failed.
Russia wasn't involved in nation building, they didn't have thousands of Russian and Afghan civilians on their payroll, they didn't place leaders for the Afghan government. The Russian people wanted the war to end for years same as here but its withdrawal was very simple. Did you notice they just needed to walk across a bridge, they didn't need to evacuate a few hundred thousand people.
Difference is the Russians celebrated the end while in the US the right wing continues to criticize a withdrawal that should have occurred 15 years ago as not being perfect.
Too bad that the leaders in the US thought this would turn out differently than Russia's invasion.
On Feb. 15, 1989, General Gromov, commander of the Soviet troops, walked across the "Bridge of Friendship." Once reaching the USSR side, the general embraced his wife and turned to a TV crew and said, "That's it. Not one Soviet soldier or officer is behind my back."
During those last days, no shots were fired, no mad scrambles for the exits, no frantic calls for help, no helicopters evacuating diplomatic staff, and certainly no suicide bombings. Even in full retreat, the USSR was in complete control.
The American withdrawal did not have to be a bloody disaster. America, like the Soviets, possessed the diplomatic and military might to organize an orderly and peaceful transition. The difference between the two withdrawals is leadership. America's leadership failed.
Spot on. Exiting Afghanistan is one thing, but this Zhoe Biden ''exit'' after his months of promising an orderly exit and downplaying the Taliban's abilities...fortunately Biden has Hurricane Ida and the Wuhan Virus to distract us.
Where is Madame Harris? Trying to reassure southeast Asian countries that America has their backs...uh, not our best messenger to say the least.
Get ready folks, it's China time...
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