Threats
Today's D Brief: Afghan exit on the Hill; Spotlight on Milley; 3 carriers near Taiwan?; Army's counter-UAV search; And a bit more.
By Ben Watson
September 27, 2021
The D Brief
The Pentagon’s Afghan withdrawal goes under the microscope this week as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley testify before Senate and House Armed Services lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. But the New York Times calls Tuesday’s first hearing possibly “the most significant televised congressional hearing involving senior military leaders since Gen. David H. Petraeus was grilled by lawmakers on the fiasco that was the war in Iraq in 2007.” That’s because of several headline-generating stories about recent decisions by Gen. Milley, especially during the final months of the Trump administration one year ago.
In other words: Don’t expect Afghanistan to remain the entire focus of this week’s two Afghanistan hearings. But those are just two of at least nine notable hearings happening this week on the Hill. Military Times has more on the others, here.
In perhaps welcome news for Washington, the ICC’s new chief prosecutor wants to investigate alleged Taliban and ISIS crimes in Afghanistan—and to “de-prioritize” alleged U.S. and coalition war crimes, Agence France Presse reported Monday from the Hague.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/09/the-d-brief-september-27-2021/185633/
