About 90 retired generals and admirals are demanding that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley resign over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
‘The retired Flag Officers signing this letter are calling for the resignation and retirement of the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) based on negligence in performing their duties primarily involving events surrounding the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,’ 90 retired top-ranking military officials wrote in an open letter released Monday.
They believe Milley and Austin should have advised Biden against the withdrawal.
They wrote. ‘As principal military advisors to the CINC (Commander in Chief)/President, the SECDEF and CJCS should have recommended against this dangerous withdrawal in the strongest possible terms,’ If they did not do everything within their authority to stop the hasty withdrawal, they should resign,’ the letter demands.
They also said that if Milley and Austin did advise against this, they should have resigned if Biden didn’t take their direction to show their disapproval and to not have to carry out the mission that ended up with lives lost of 13 U.S. service members.
‘[I]f they did do everything within their ability to persuade the CINC/President to not hastily exit the country without ensuring the safety of our citizens and Afghans loyal to America, then they should have resigned in protest as a matter of conscience and public statement.’
In an ISIS-K suicide bombing near the Kabul airport on Thursday, 13 U.S. troops were killed.
Biden took responsibility for their deaths, claiming everything that has happened in the withdrawal has been his doing.
‘The hasty retreat has left initial estimates at ~15,000 Americans stranded in dangerous areas controlled by a brutal enemy along with ~25,000 Afghan citizens who supported American forces,’ the 90 retired generals and admirals wrote.
The letter comes as Joe Biden faces his own calls to resign or be impeached as those from all political backgrounds have criticized the president for his handling of the withdrawal.
Biden is expected to make remarks Tuesday afternoon lauding the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.