Close to 90 retired generals and admirals have all signed a letter that demands the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), Lloyd Austin, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Mark Milley, resign from their office immediately. This demand comes in response to their roles in the “events surrounding the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan” that recently took place under their leadership in the Biden administration.
The letter describes, “What should have happened upon learning of the Commander in Chief’s (President Biden’s) plan to quickly withdraw our forces and close the important power projection base Bagram, without adequate plans and forces in place to conduct the entire operation in an orderly fashion?” The retired military leaders wrote: “As principal military advisors to the CINC/President, the SECDEF and CJCS should have recommended against this dangerous withdrawal in the strongest possible terms.”
The letter states rather bluntly that if they did not “do everything within their authority to stop the hasty withdrawal, they should resign.” It also states that if they did do everything within their ability to persuade the Commander in Chief to not exit the country too quickly and fail to ensure the safety of our citizens and Afghans who are loyal to America, then they should have “resigned in protest as a matter of conscience and public statement.”
The retired generals and admirals declared, “The consequences of this disaster are enormous and will reverberate for decades beginning with the safety of Americans and Afghans who are unable to move safely to evacuation points; therefore, being de facto hostages of the Taliban at this time.”
These leaders intensely criticized the Biden administration for enabling the death and torture of Afghans which they said has “already begun and will result in a human tragedy of major proportions.”
“The loss of billions of dollars in advanced military equipment and supplies falling into the hands of our enemies is catastrophic,” they continued. “The damage to the reputation of the United States is indescribable. We are 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.”
These leaders gave a grave warning that the enemies of America would now be emboldened because of the weakness of the Biden administration. They said that China would benefit the most, but these countries would also benefit: Russia, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, and others.
“Terrorists around the world are emboldened and able to pass freely into our country through our open border with Mexico,” they warned.
“Besides these military operational reasons for resignations, there are leadership, training, and morale reasons for resignations,” they continued. “In interviews, congressional testimony, and public statements it has become clear that top leaders in our military are placing mandatory emphasis on PC ‘wokeness’ related training which is extremely divisive and harmful to unit cohesion, readiness, and warfighting capability. Our military exists to fight and win our Nation’s wars and that must be the sole focus of our top military leaders.”
Again, close to 90 former military leaders were willing to sign their names to this statement, and they said that a “fundamental principle in the military is holding those in charge responsible and accountable for their actions or inactions.” This clearly meant that Milley and Austin need to resign for “this tragic and avoidable debacle.”
The letter comes as Joe Biden faces his own calls to resign or be impeached as those from all political backgrounds have criticized the president for his handling of the withdrawal.
Biden is expected to make remarks Tuesday afternoon lauding the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
