Holding Bagram Air Base required more troops in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials say

The U.S. military gave up Bagram Air Base during its final weeks in Afghanistan, in part because it lacked the necessary number of troops to maintain it, according to top defense officials.

This comes after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Gens. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Frank McKenzie, the leader of U.S. Central Command, answered questions about the end of the Afghanistan War from the House and Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday.