At 19 years and counting, the conflict in Afghanistan is America’s longest war. There have now been 5,135 U.S. casualties associated with Afghan reconstruction, more than 40% of whom were killed. Violence against our troops is also on the upswing, as combat casualties recently hit the highest in five years.

While for former President Barack Obama, Afghanistan was once “the good war” in contrast to “the bad war” in Iraq, patience with the continued U.S. presence has worn thin across the political spectrum and especially in the White House. “We are working to finally end America’s longest war and bring our troops back home,” President Trump declared in this month’s State of the Union address.