US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has described the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021 as a serious failure that damaged America’s credibility around the world.
Speaking on Monday at the US Naval War College, Mr Hegseth said the US military’s war colleges should examine recent strategic failures, including the withdrawal from Afghanistan, more openly and critically.
“Five years ago, America was humiliated in Kabul, and every adversary of the United States around the world was watching,” he said.
Mr Hegseth also questioned why senior US officials had failed to anticipate the collapse of Afghanistan’s government and why America’s operational plans fell apart within days.
He said US military educational institutions had avoided a thorough examination of recent strategic failures and argued that this needed to change.
Mr Hegseth announced wider changes to the curriculum at US war colleges, saying military education should focus more closely on preparing senior officers for war and on learning from past failures.
