On Sept. 11, 2001, Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart was one of the chief war planners at the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Working under Gen. Tommy Franks, Renuart helped design the plan that toppled the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in a matter of weeks. As an Air Force pilot, he flew F-16s and A-10s in more than 60 combat missions and capped his 39-year career as the four-star commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command. He was described by Bob Woodward in his 2005 book Plan of Attack as a “balding, brainy fighter pilot with a master’s degree in psychology.” The Washington Examiner’s Jamie McIntyre spoke with Renuart as the United States departed Afghanistan and America marked the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Washington Examiner: Books have been written and more books will be written about the two decades of American military campaign in Afghanistan. As someone who was there from the start, how do you feel about the way it ended?