Afghanistan shows the U.S. needs a doctrine not just for fighting wars, but also leaving them – By Patrick Tucker (Defense One) / July 27, 2023
And other lessons from Thursday’s hearing on the 2021 evacuation
There are fresh lessons to be learned from the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, witnesses told lawmakers in a Thursday hearing that—unlike earlier ones intended to make sense of what happened or affix political blame—produced some helpful recommendations for avoiding future catastrophes.
Closing Bagram Air Field and evacuating out of Hamid Karzai International Airport was a massive mistake, Command Sgt. Maj. Jacob Smith of the 10th Mountain Division told the House foreign affairs committee.
In the leadup to the August 2021 evacuation, Smith testified, he told superiors that “Bagram held the logistical capability to meet the requirements of 103,000 people. Bagram had over 35,000 bed spaces and could create more using cots within the airfield hangars if necessary. Bagram had four dining facilities and food together…had tens of thousands of gallons of potable water and on-site water for purification capabilities…the greatest life-saving capability of any hospital remaining in Afghanistan.”
He was overruled, he said, because the State Department believed the airport would be more comfortable.
The U.S. Army made its own mistakes, Smith said, by initially assigning just a single rifle company to provide security for the evacuation.
