{"id":53683,"date":"2021-05-02T16:50:05","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T16:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/02\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:16:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:16:29","slug":"top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/05\/02\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\/","title":{"rendered":"Top US general: Afghan forces could face \u2018bad possible outcomes\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Afghan government forces face an uncertain future and, in a worst-case scenario, some \u201cbad possible outcomes\u201d against Taliban insurgents as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/05\/01\/us-nato-forces-begin-final-phase-of-afghan-pullout\/\" target=_blank>the withdrawal of American and coalition troops accelerates <\/a>in the coming weeks, the top U.S. military officer said Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Mark Milley described the Afghan military and police as \u201creasonably well equipped, reasonably well trained, reasonably well led.\u201d He cited Afghan troops\u2019 years of experience against a resilient insurgency, but he declined to say they are fully ready to stand up to the Taliban without direct international backing during a potential Taliban offensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, spoke in an interview with Associated Press and CNN reporters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/02\/defense-secretary-austin-calls-for-new-vision-for-american-defense\/\" target=_blank>flying with him from Hawaii to Washington<\/a> just hours after the formal kickoff of the withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/03\/16\/afghan-security-forces-still-need-us-help-to-stand-on-their-own-watchdog-warns\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6471056.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Afghan security forces still need US help to stand on their own, watchdog warns<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">All U.S. troops are scheduled to leave the country by May under the terms of a deal brokered by the Trump administration last year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked whether he believes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/22\/afghan-military-will-collapse-without-some-us-help-says-top-general-in-the-middle-east\/\" target=_blank>the Afghan forces<\/a> can hold up under increased strain, Milley was noncommittal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour question: The Afghan army, do they stay together and remain a cohesive fighting force or do they fall apart? I think there\u2019s a range of scenarios here, a range of outcomes, a range of possibilities,\u201d he said. \u201cOn the one hand you get some really dramatic, bad possible outcomes. On the other hand, you get a military that stays together and a government that stays together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhich one of these options obtains and becomes reality at the end of the day? We frankly don\u2019t know yet. We have to wait and see how things develop over the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said there is \u201cat least still the possibility\u201d of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/us-backed-peace-conference-for-afghanistans-warring-sides-postponed-as-taliban-balk\/\" target=_blank>a negotiated political settlement<\/a> between the government in Kabul and the Taliban. This, he said, would avoid the \u201cmassive civil war\u201d that some fear could happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/12\/02\/militarys-top-officer-says-weve-had-a-modicum-of-success-in-afghanistan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635671176915313055-arm-milley-gallery-5jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Military\u2019s top officer says we\u2019ve had a \u2018modicum of success\u2019 in Afghanistan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The chairman of the Joint Chiefs gave a humble assessment of the situation in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within about two months of the U.S.-led invasion in October 2001, the country\u2019s Taliban rulers were removed from power and militarily defeated. But within several years, they had regrouped, rearmed and reasserted themselves, taking advantage of sanctuary in neighboring Pakistan. In recent years the Taliban achieved a battlefield stalemate with U.S.-supported Afghan government forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Milley noted that the Afghan military has operated in recent years with less reliance on U.S. and coalition advisers. Among the key exceptions are special operations commandos and the defense ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut for the most part, there\u2019s no advisers out there anyway,\u201d he said in one of his few interviews since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/28\/biden-says-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-shows-american-leadership\/\" target=_blank>President Joe Biden<\/a> announced April 14 that all U.S. military personnel will withdraw this summer. Milley said the commonly cited total of 2,500 troops rises to 3,300 if special operations forces are counted. \u201cWe\u2019re taking it down to zero,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1429\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6198503.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Afghan National Army soldier stand on top of a hill during a visit by Afghan Deputy Defense Minister Dr. Yasin Zia and Resolute Support Commander Gen. Scott Miller in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 3, 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-61443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6198503.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6198503.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6198503.jpg.jpg?resize=768,549 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6198503.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,732 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6198503.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Afghan National Army soldier stand on top of a hill during a visit by Afghan Deputy Defense Minister Dr. Yasin Zia and Resolute Support Commander Gen. Scott Miller in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 3, 2020. (Spc. Jeffery J. Harris\/Army Reserve)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the withdrawal is over, the United States will provide unspecified \u201ccapabilities\u201d to the Afghan military from other locations, Milley said. He did not elaborate on this, but other officials have said those \u201cover-the-horizon\u201d arrangements for supporting the Afghan military have yet to be solidified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Milley said it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/04\/21\/earlier-withdrawal-for-international-troops-from-afghanistan-under-consideration\/\" target=_blank>possible that the withdrawal will be finished before the Sept. 11 target date <\/a>announced by the White House. He said that date reflects the estimated maximum amount of time needed to move all U.S. and coalition troops, as well as large amounts of equipment, out of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to put precise dates on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gen. Mark Milley declined to say whether Afghanistan&#8217;s security forces are fully ready to stand up to the Taliban without direct international backing during a potential Taliban offensive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2484],"class_list":["post-53683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HDOYR2HI6VCVTCGBSOPNCI73S4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/05\/02\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Top US general: Afghan forces could face \u2018bad possible outcomes\u2019 - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gen. Mark Milley declined to say whether Afghanistan&#039;s security forces are fully ready to stand up to the Taliban without direct international backing during a potential Taliban offensive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top US general: Afghan forces could face \u2018bad possible outcomes\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gen. Mark Milley declined to say whether Afghanistan&#039;s security forces are fully ready to stand up to the Taliban without direct international backing during a potential Taliban offensive.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2021\/05\/02\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-02T16:50:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T09:16:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robert Burns, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robert Burns, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/02\\\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/02\\\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Top US general: Afghan forces could face \u2018bad possible outcomes\u2019\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-02T16:50:05+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T09:16:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/02\\\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 597,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/02\\\/top-us-general-afghan-forces-could-face-bad-possible-outcomes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21121128137856.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; 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Mark Milley declined to say whether Afghanistan's security forces are fully ready to stand up to the Taliban without direct international backing during a potential Taliban offensive.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Top US general: Afghan forces could face \u2018bad possible outcomes\u2019","og_description":"Gen. 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