The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday announced the first round of hearings on President Biden's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, beginning with Pentagon brass.
Calling it the "initial slate of hearings" implies that there will be more to come, likely to include officials from the Department of State.
SASC today announced its initial slate of hearings to examine the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and lessons learned from the twenty year conflict.
— Senate Armed Services Committee (@SASCDems) September 9, 2021
Learn more: https://t.co/9HSLPt13o0 pic.twitter.com/rhHHLHkBT3
Promising to "examine the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and lessons learned from the twenty year conflict," the SASC also announced the schedule for the mix of open and closed hearings and who would be called to testify before the committee.
On Wednesday, September 15 at 9:15 a.m., the committee will hold a closed briefing "on recent developments in Afghanistan" with General Austin Scott Miller, the former commander of American forces in Afghanistan.
The following week, on Tuesday, September 28, the SASC will hear testimony on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie.
On September 30, a review of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan will take place with "external experts" in the field yet to be announced by the committee.
Democrat Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (RI) said in a release that "I remain deeply concerned about the events that accompanied our withdrawal and the ongoing humanitarian crisis" in Afghanistan.
SASC Chairman @SenJackReed: "Although we have completed the withdrawal of American military personnel and over 100,000 civilians from Afghanistan, I remain deeply concerned about the events that accompanied our withdrawal and the ongoing humanitarian crisis."
— Senate Armed Services Committee (@SASCDems) September 9, 2021
"It is the duty of Congress — and the Senate Armed Services Committee in particular — to hold hearings to learn lessons from the situation in Afghanistan and ensure accountability at the highest levels," Senator Reed added.
Ranking SASC Republican Jim Inhofe (OK) said the scheduled hearings are "critical oversight" and "the first of what I expect to be many hearings and briefings to review and determine what happened, who should be held accountable, and how we move forward."
What has occurred in Afghanistan since @POTUS announced the unconditional withdrawal in April — especially over the last month — has been nothing short of a disaster. I’m glad #SASC will hold the first of what I expect to be many hearings on the topic starting next week. pic.twitter.com/MamUfcUbdx
— Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) September 9, 2021
He added that "The American people, our service members past and present, our allies and partners around the world and the Afghans who bravely helped us deserve this transparency and accountability."
Senator Inhofe recently tweeted a thread of questions the American people have for President Biden and his senior officials that provide a preview of some area he'll look to cover in the hearings:
Over the past few weeks, @POTUS has made many claims about Afghanistan that simply aren’t true. I want to correct the record now – the American people deserve to understand what happened in Afghanistan and what could happen next. pic.twitter.com/Igv9yGHEnx
— Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) September 1, 2021
.@POTUS keeps blaming President Trump for his mistakes in Afghanistan. But President Trump listened to his advisors and set strong conditions for withdrawal. These conditions were not met – but President Biden withdrew troops anyway.https://t.co/lami7sv1e2 pic.twitter.com/1mugaVWj9H
— Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) September 4, 2021
President Biden incorrectly stated that Al-Qaeda doesn’t have a presence in Afghanistan. This completely debunked claim shows how naïve @POTUS has been about the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/3sEUZ5qpPQ
— Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) September 7, 2021
.@POTUS keeps saying he had only 2 choices for Afghanistan.
— Sen. Jim Inhofe (@JimInhofe) September 8, 2021
Not true. I – along with many others – recommended a 3rd path forward: keeping a small presence in the country for a limited time, which could have prevented the chaos we see today.
My op-ed: https://t.co/ED1FwkKdGy pic.twitter.com/JZt0iAFbi1
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