The testimony of our military leaders on the Afghanistan Blame Game did not answer America’s needs

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One of the things I missed the most about being in the military was the short sentences that said everything you needed to know about almost everything. Among my favorites was when, after a long meeting, someone would chuckle, “It was a Kabuki dance.”

I don’t know how many servicemen are true devotees of ancient Japanese culture, but they all have, from a simple soldier to a four-star general, that reference to stylized drama with a predictable ending. And so it was Tuesday when some of the top Pentagon officials went to Capitol Hill to testify. Those who expected a Kabuki dance were not disappointed.

During the hearings, everyone played their part. To mix up a few metaphors: the Democrats played the defense. Republicans have gone on the offensive. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin; Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chairman, General Mark Milley; and General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of the United States Central Command, played the goalie, dodging slaps and passing the puck whenever they could.

>>> Hold Biden responsible for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan

The hearings focused on the cataclysmic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the re-emerging threat of terrorism in South Asia.

All predictable questions have been asked. All responses were also predictable. They amounted to a concerted effort to cover up President Bidens’ disastrous decision-making with every possible excuse. Every effort was made to place the blame on the Afghans, the previous administration or others, although, surprisingly, they did not blame Adam, Eve and the Serpent for abandoning the Americans, our allies. and our equipment and leave behind the foundations of the upcoming September 11th. .

What was most interesting about the stylized ritual of Washington’s blame game on the Hill was what was left unsaid. None of the officials who testified wanted to detail the full scope of the military advice given to the president. After the hearings, no one is better equipped than before to analyze the precise role of the President of the United States in the biggest military and geopolitical setback since Vietnam.

This in part reflects the tension of how America’s civil-military relations are structured to operate. On the one hand, it is difficult for a president and his military advisers to have an open and frank exchange of views, if the quarterbacks of Monday morning manage to dissect these discussions after the fact. On the other hand, the Pentagon leadership must also be frank and honest with Congress, as the body exercises its control over the armed forces.

Walking this tightrope of tension is a skill expected of the nation’s highest ranking officers. When they lean too far in one direction, they destroy the trust that elected civilian leaders and senior military officers place in them. When they lean too close to each other, they cover political agendas and undermine their own credibility as selfless servants of the nation.

What we saw on Tuesday was normal. This generation of military leaders is not particularly adept at analyzing politics from politics. It’s hard to leave this audience thinking that they are serving us well.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Whether it’s repeating the president’s obsession with climate change, covering up morale-destroying anti-racist training, not contradicting claims that the ranks are riddled with political extremists, they haven’t turned up. proved to be well qualified to protect the armed forces from partisan abuse. Washington politics.

>>> America deserves answers on the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan

In fact, serving this nation, and the men and women they command, requires leaders who can transcend playing a role in the political theater of the Capitol and instead deliver hard and honest truths as the military leaders like George Marshall and Matthew Ridgway.

What we learned on Tuesday is that everyone in Washington is well trained in their stead. If we are to achieve transparency and accountability on what happened in Afghanistan and the threats we now face, we will need an independent, non-partisan commission like we had after 9/11. .

We need a real investigation, not an investigation that seeks to diffuse the problem by giving us a lesson in the history of the past 20 years.

We deserve an investigation that examines what really matters to show that we have left Afghanistan, where we are now, and what we will face in the future.

Too bad we didn’t have that on Tuesday.

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