Lawmakers Scold Pentagon for Leaving Afghanistan Without ‘Over-the-Horizon’ Plan
“Why would we leave Bagram when we don’t have an alternative closer than UAE?” said the Armed Services Committee’s top Republican.
By Jacqueline Feldscher
Senior National Security Correspondent
May 12, 2021 01:09 PM ET
The United States could be left with no footprint in Southwest Asia if troops leave Afghanistan before agreements are nailed down with neighboring countries to host American assets, Pentagon officials said Wednesday during a confrontational Congressional hearing that raised concerns with some lawmakers about the military’s ability to respond to terrorist threats.
“Why would we leave Bagram when we don’t have an alternative closer than [the United Arab Emirates]?” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, asked in a hearing.
Rogers asked officials to commit to not fully withdraw from Afghanistan until access, basing, and overflight agreements are locked in with other countries in the region.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2021/05/afghanistan-bases/173985/