Trump’s pick to lead the Afghan war says he won’t talk turning points ‘unless there is one’

Trump’s pick to lead the Afghan war says he won’t talk turning points ‘unless there is one’
Austin Miller, Scott Miller, JSOC, Afghanistan, war in afghanistan, afghan war
Then-Maj. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller is shown here at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2015. He testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee as a three-star general up for promotion to be President Trump’s next Afghan war commander on June 19. (Sgt. 1st Class Michael R. Noggle/ Army) The U.S. general nominated by President Trump to be the commander of the war in Afghanistan told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he wouldn’t speak about the war reaching a turning point “unless there is one.” The statement by Army Lt. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller during his confirmation hearing was an acknowledgment that the war has dragged on nearly 17 years and of how past U.S. commanders often proclaimed that conditions were set for forces to make significant progress soon. Miller said that he couldn’t “guarantee you a timeline or an end date,” but that the United States should stay in Afghanistan because it is vital to U.S. interests and countering terrorist groups. “This is about protecting U.S. citizens, when you go right to the heart of the issue,” he posited. Miller was nominated this spring by Trump to take over for Army Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., who has led the war effort since March 2016. Miller has spent much of his career in the shadows as a member of Special Operations Command, most recently as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which includes the elite forces commonly known as SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force. Miller testified 10 months after Trump announced a strategy change in Afghanistan that includes loosening the rules of engagement to allow more airstrikes, modestly increasing the number of U.S. troops to more than 15,000 and pointedly saying that the United States will not set a timeline for withdrawing unless conditions on the ground improve. The last point especially marked a change from the Obama administration, which deployed more than 100,000 U.S. troops to the country, but pulled out more than 90 percent of them as security disintegrated. Miller’s confirmation is considered a foregone conclusion, with numerous senators expressing admiration for his service during the hearing. At one point, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R.-S.C.) asked him if he had been wounded in the past, seemingly just to get the point on the record. Miller responded that he had been twice: during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu — an operation recounted in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down” — and about 10 years later in Iraq. But Miller did take some tough questions from lawmakers concerned about whether success in Afghanistan can be achieved. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.), in particular, said that even after 17 years of U.S. involvement, Afghanistan is “in crisis,” with Afghan military units suffering “unsustainable” losses, rampant corruption, about half of all children not in school and the Taliban increasing the amount of territory under its control. “Even if U.S. forces could somehow stabilize the security situation, can we realistica

[vioricaartinov]

Foarte pregătit si inteligent cu o carieră remarcabilă in armata 🌹✌🖐⚘🥰

[ginadinu]

Impressive ....
There is no superlative for you, Mr. Major General Austin Scott Miller!
As I have already said, people like you are born once a thousand years!
God protect you!

[lennadunagan]

A man fighting a war, we're there is a boundy on your head by Russia...stay safe

[lidiairiarte]

Muchas gracias me mandas estoy muy orgullosa wonderful lovely my friend beautiful m. Gral Austin s. Miller love you . Mis nietos son americanos vive a Miami flias tanks you Austin you lidy deaf Argentina

[thingoclando]

Good morning General Austin S Miller...