Trump team plans military charges for Afghanistan withdrawal failures


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A group of current and former Pentagon officials may face serious consequences under a potential second Trump administration for their roles in the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle.

According to an NBC News report released Saturday evening, Trump’s transition team is actively identifying military officials involved in the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal, with the possibility of pursuing court-martial proceedings against them.

The transition team is exploring the establishment of an investigative commission to examine the 2021 withdrawal thoroughly, with potential charges as severe as treason being considered for those involved.

“They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with knowledge of the plan said.

Matt Flynn, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, is spearheading this initiative. Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, is expected to join the effort pending Senate confirmation.

“The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies,” Hegseth wrote in his book “The War on Warriors.” “Lots of people need to be fired. The debacle in Afghanistan, of course, is the most glaring example.”

“These generals lied. They mismanaged. They violated their oath. They failed. They disgraced our troops, and our nation. They got people killed, unnecessarily,” he added. “And, to this moment, they keep their jobs. Worse, they continue to actively erode our military and its values — by capitulating to civilians with radical agendas. They are an embarrassment, with stars still on their shoulders.”

The Taliban’s capture of Kabul three years ago led to a hasty evacuation under the Biden-Harris administration, resulting in thirteen service members’ deaths and the abandonment of numerous Afghan allies and military working dogs.

General Mark Milley could face particular scrutiny, given his controversial communications with Chinese military officials during Trump’s final months in office and his role in leaving behind approximately $80 billion in U.S. military equipment during the withdrawal.

The prospect of court-martial proceedings has created unease among military leaders, particularly those directly involved in what many consider America’s most significant foreign policy failure in recent history.

 

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