Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced Tuesday that he will heed President Trump’s call to draw down U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 each, noting that the reduced force posture will suffice to protect America’s national security interests.
“I am formally announcing that we will implement President Trump’s orders to continue our repositioning of forces from those two countries,” he said. “I celebrate this day.”
The move, Miller said, was the “result of President Trump’s bold leadership” and did not amount to a change in policy or objectives.
Troops in Afghanistan will be reduced from about 4,000 to 2,500, and troops in Iraq will draw down from 3,000 to 2,500 by Jan. 15, 2021, just five days before the end of Trump’s tenure in office.
Miller spoke for just over six minutes in his first Pentagon press briefing, taking no questions.
The Green Beret, who fought in the early days of the war in Afghanistan in 2003, said the reduction was years in the making and was made by Trump in concert with civilian and military commanders both in Washington and in the theater.
Miller said he spent the morning talking to NATO allies, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and congressional leaders to inform them of the decision. He said that he also spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who was grateful for the American presence.
More than 6,900 U.S. service members lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more than 52,000 have been wounded.
Prior to Miller’s brief address, a senior defense official spoke to members of the press but avoided some of the toughest questions, such as which military leaders recommended the move and what conditions were met by the Taliban.
The official said the move “comes at the recommendation of the senior-most military officials, both in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
He declined to state which uniformed military official conferred with the order.
The United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement Feb. 29 in Doha, Qatar, that called for a reduction in violence and the cessation of attacks against U.S. and coalition forces.
U.S. Central Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie recently said the first of those conditions was not being met.
“The sheer volume of Taliban initiated attacks against the people of Afghanistan are not indicative of an organization that’s serious about peace,” McKenzie told The Burn Bag podcast. “Taliban violence in Afghanistan continues to be the greatest obstacle to moving forward with the peace process.”
The official said that should there be “a fracturing event or a dynamic situation,” the U.S. would still be well-postured to “augment” its presence. He declined to define what such an event might be.
With violence levels rising in Afghanistan, according to a recent inspector general report, the official refused to describe what specific conditions on the ground had been met. Instead, he emphasized that the new force posture will be able to protect Americans and Afghans and continue the counterterrorism mission on the ground.
Miller said the work of rooting out terrorists and bringing about peace will now be left to domestic armed forces.
“I want to thank the Afghans and Iraqis who have partnered with us throughout and who now carry the bulk of the fighting to secure their homelands,” he said. “I want to thank our NATO allies and other partners who have fought alongside us and taken the lead on training and advising the Afghan and Iraqi security forces. We will continue to support their efforts.”
The announcement drew praise and criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Washington Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the decision was the right one.
“After speaking with the acting secretary this morning, I believe reducing our forward deployed footprint in Afghanistan down to 2,500 troops is the right policy decision. At the same time, this reduction must be responsibly and carefully executed to ensure stability in the region,” he said.
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also praised the announcement.
“In this plan, we stand with the Afghan people and against the increased violence of the Taliban against the elected government,” he said. “I look forward to receiving detailed briefings on the plan from the Pentagon and the commander on the ground, General Miller. As we evaluate the situation in Afghanistan and coordinate with our allies, we must ensure that our strategy and posture reflect the conditions on the ground.”
“President Trump’s South Asia strategy has been extremely successful, and his administration has scored major counterterrorism wins across the region, including taking out terrorist henchmen al-Baghdadi, Soleimani, and al-Rimi,” Inhofe continued. “His military strategy has always reflected conditions on the ground, rather than being tied to an arbitrary calendar like his predecessor. Keeping the right military footprint in Afghanistan to perform counterterrorism missions and support our allies and Afghan partners is an essential part of that realistic approach, and is vital to protecting the homeland from attacks.”
However, Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he thinks the additional reductions are a “mistake”.
“Further reductions in Afghanistan will also undercut negotiations there; the Taliban has done nothing – met no condition – that would justify this cut,” he said. “As long as there are threats to Americans and American national security in the world, the U.S. must be vigilant, strong, and engaged in order to safeguard our people and fulfill our duty under the Constitution.”
And Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said: “There’s a right way and a wrong way to do this. President Trump is once again choosing the wrong way and we can’t let U.S. national security and our relationships with steadfast partners become a casualty of President Trump’s wounded ego.”
