Revelations from the US Congress hearings of military commanders under Biden administration
The last few days saw the first of the US Congress hearings of senior military commanders under the Biden administration. No sooner the top generals began testifying before the US lawmakers than the revelations started to pour in.
Gen. Mark Milley’s calls to China
Gen. Mark Milley is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Just before the US Congressional hearing, journalist Bob Woodard made a bombshell revelation in his book ‘Peril’. Woodard accused Gen. Milley of making calls to his Chinese counterpart to assure the Chinese Communist Party that the United States would not launch a nuclear strike in the last days of the Trump administration. Curiously, at the US Congressional hearing, Gen. Milley not only accepted making calls to China’s army chief Gen. Li Zuocheng but also defended his actions blaming then President Trump’s so-called unpredictable nature.
Republicans have called this act’ treason’. Law will take its own course in the case of Gen. Milley. However, it is for any person who loves his country to consider whether it was fair for Gen. Milley’s rank to reveal your military plan to the enemy army chief. Moreover, Gen. Milley’s blame comes even after President Trump exercised complete restraint after Iran launched missiles at US bases in Iraq in January 2020.
Killing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told the US Congress that within four to five hours of the August 29, 2021 drone strike in Kabul, the US military was aware that they killed innocent civilians. However, it is to be noted that the mistake that killed poor Afghans, including seven children, was acknowledged only weeks after the strike. In fact, US President Biden had projected this airstrike as a face-saver to hide the failure of his military withdrawal and consequent fall of the Afghan government.
Resurgence of Al-Qaeda, ISIS
Gen. Mark Milley also told the US Congress about the “real possibility” that al Qaeda or ISIS could reconstitute in Afghanistan in the next 6 to 36 months. If this assessment comes true, it is certain to threaten the US and global security. Thus, it is difficult to understand the goal behind the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal by President Biden if the above-stated risk is imminent.
Besides, we already know that Gen. Milley and Gen. McKenzie have also testified before the US Congress that they had asked President Biden to keep a minimum troop presence of at least 2,500 in Afghanistan. However, Biden has said that he did not receive any such advice, a claim that contradicts the statements by the two generals.
Recently, a Reuters-Ipsos opinion poll indicated that the public approval of US President Biden has dropped to the lowest level of his presidency. The trust that Americans place in their President may further erode after the opening of such a can of worms.