Generals Were Blindsided by the Afghan Army's Big Quit, But Enlisted Troops Saw it Coming

[rangerrebew]

Generals Were Blindsided by the Afghan Army's Big Quit, But Enlisted Troops Saw it Coming
 
30 Sep 2021
Military.com | By Richard Sisk

The former Marine corporal couldn't believe that two generals and the defense secretary kept saying, over two days of confrontational hearings, that they were "surprised" at the quick collapse of the Afghan army and the Taliban's takeover of Kabul without a fight.

If they had asked any enlisted member among the more than 800,000 U.S. troops who served in Afghanistan over 20 years, the brass would have known that it was a bad bet to count on the Afghan security forces to provide cover and time for the American withdrawal, said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.

When it came his turn for questions at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday, Gallego, an enlisted combat veteran of Iraq, told Army Gen. Mark Milley, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that their trust in the Afghan army to hold off the Taliban was misplaced at best, especially after the U.S. withdrew support and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/09/30/generals-were-blindsided-afghan-armys-big-quit-enlisted-troops-saw-it-coming.html

[sneakypete]

Nothing new about "middle management" telling the bosses what they want to hear so they get promoted.

[yodaspock]

Anyone with an IQ above Bidens 60 would have seen that not paying the afgan army and taking the mechanics who service the planes away means the Army was going to bail.

[DefiantMassRINO]

The Generals didn't want the Afghan War money train pull out the station.

Less money for new shiny weapons from Defense contractors for whom they hope to work after retirement.