BY JAMIE MCINTYRE

MINORITY REPORT ‘A STRATEGIC FAILURE’: On the first anniversary of the fall of Kabul, House Republicans have issued a highly-critical report that faults virtually every aspect of the Biden administration’s Afghanistan policy, from the decision to follow through on President Donald Trump’s orders for a full withdrawal of U.S. troops, to the failure to heed the advice of military commanders, correctly assess U.S. intelligence, or adequately plan for the evacuation of Afghan allies and partners.

The House Republican Interim Report: A “Strategic Failure,” makes two central arguments: that President Joe Biden was not bound by the 2020 Doha agreement negotiated by Trump because the Taliban had failed to meet its terms and that, contrary to Biden’s public statements, he knew or should have known that without U.S. and NATO support the U.S.-backed Afghan government would fall within weeks.

“The Biden administration’s own internal assessments understood that the Afghan military would be unable to defend the country from the Taliban without American air support, military advisors, and contractors, who they relied upon to enable the operation of the Afghan Air Force,” the report concludes.

Biden was advised by his commanders that the best option was to keep an advisory and counterterrorism mission in place that consisted of 2,500 U.S. military personnel along with 6,000 mostly NATO forces “But the president opted to reject their advice, instead pursuing an unconditional withdrawal.”

HOUSE GOP REPORT ACCUSES BIDEN OF KNOWINGLY MISLEADING PUBLIC ABOUT AFGHANISTAN EXIT

THE DOHA DEBATE: There is no question the Taliban failed to uphold the key provisions of the 2020 withdrawal agreement, which required them to reduce the level of violence, break ties with al Qaeda, and negotiate in good faith with the Afghan government — none of which they did.

To the extent there is a debate, it is about how much the Doha agreement kneecapped the Afghan government by forcing the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners who immediately joined the fight and undercut the morale of Afghan troops.

By the time Biden took office, many local Afghan commanders had already cut surrender deals with the Taliban, believing that they would soon be abandoned by the Americans. After losing the 2020 election, Trump cut U.S. troop levels to 2,500, below the 4,500 U.S. commanders said was the minimum needed to continue the mission.

“It was a strategic mistake,” wrote Trump’s Defense Secretary Mark Esper in his memoir, A Sacred Oath. “And it had an odious psychological effect on our Afghan partners and our relationship with them.” Esper was fired a week after recommending against the cut.

“The choice I had to make, as your president, was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season,” Biden said in a televised address one year ago as Kabul was falling and the debacle of the frantic evacuation operation was unfolding.

READ MORE: SEEDS OF SURRENDER

‘A FALSE NARRATIVE’: Experts ranging from the independent Afghanistan Study Group to former Afghanistan commanders argue that Biden had clear alternatives to an unconditional withdrawal.

“He was advised by the military, by his intelligence services, and by many of his foreign policy advisers, and all of the NATO nations, to maintain the stalemate that we had, the status quo,” said retired Gen. Jack Keane, former vice chief of the Army. “It wasn't a perfect situation, far from it. But it was a stalemate where the Taliban could not take over from the government … It was an acceptable stalemate as far as many policymakers were concerned.”

“The president thought he knew better. And he was very defiant and rejected all of their advice,” said Keane on Fox, where he is a contributor. “He presented a false narrative to the American people to which I find very disturbing. He said: My choice is get out now, or have to put thousands of American troops back in here to fight the Taliban and take casualties doing that. We have not been in direct combat with the Taliban since 2014.”

“That was a completely false narrative that he presented to the American people. That wasn't the choice.”

THE CHAOTIC AIRLIFT: The GOP report leveled a particularly harsh assessment of the two-week U.S.-led airlift that left tens of thousands of Afghan partners behind.

“The problem was the White House and State Department putting their head in the sand, not wanting to believe what they were saying, and therefore not adequately planning,” said Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) on CBS’s Face the Nation.

“Very little was done to prepare for a Taliban takeover of the country,” the report said. “Instead, the Biden administration waited until August 14, 2021, just hours before the Taliban seized Kabul, to begin making key decisions about evacuations … At the height of the evacuation, only 36 U.S. consular officers were on the ground in Kabul, despite needing to process more than one hundred thousand evacuees.”

“There was no plan,” said McCaul, comparing the frenetic scene at the Kabul airport to Schindler's List. “You know, if you're on the list, you're going to live. If you're not on the list, you're probably going to die,” he said. “One hundred thousand Afghan partners left behind. Remember, we said, 'We will protect you.' That was our promise to them: No one left behind. And we left them behind to the mercy of the Taliban, and now they're being tortured and killed.”

BROTHER OF MARINE KILLED IN KABUL AIRPORT BOMBING COMMITS SUICIDE AT MEMORIAL YEAR AFTER ATTACK

Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Victor I. Nava. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: The U.S. and its European allies are expecting an answer today from Iran about whether it will accept the final text of an agreement that would bring it into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

While there is nothing more to negotiate, Iran is objecting to an International Atomic Energy Agency investigation into undeclared nuclear material found in the country, which is outside the purview of the original agreement.

“As part of negotiations aimed at restoring the JCPOA, Washington and its European allies are working to resolve the disagreement about the agency’s latest probe by offering to end it if Iran credibly accounts for the origins of the man-made uranium particles inspectors found in 2019 and 2020,” writes Andrea Stricker, an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“Tehran’s demand that world powers close the IAEA probe is a concerning indicator that the regime seeks to maintain clandestine atomic weapons activities to preserve and further Iran’s ‘readiness’ to build nuclear weapons,” says Stricker. “If the IAEA Board of Governors shuts down the investigation, the United States and its allies will never learn how close Iran came to building a nuclear weapon, nor will they know how much of that capability Tehran retains and may be developing further.”

IRAN DENIES RUSHDIE CONNECTION: The Iranian foreign ministry has denied any involvement in the attack on author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed Friday during an event in western New York. “Nobody has the right to accuse Iran in this regard,” said Nasser Kanaani, a ministry spokesman.

In a statement yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped short of blaming Iran directly, while noting the “pernicious forces” and “hate speech” from Iran’s religious leaders that incite others to violence. “Specifically, Iranian state institutions have incited violence against Rushdie for generations, and state-affiliated media recently gloated about the attempt on his life. This is despicable.”

McCAUL CALLS FOR END OF NUCLEAR TALKS: Citing the attack on Rushdie and the Justice Department revelation of an Iranian assassination plot against former national security adviser John Bolton, Rep. Michael McCaul, the senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the Biden administration to call a halt to efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

“The administration’s priority needs to be protecting Americans, not negotiating a flawed nuclear deal,” McCaul said in a statement. “This week, we learned chilling details of Iran’s plot against John Bolton. And yet, the administration stated that should Iran attack any of our citizens, it will face severe consequences. This is unacceptable. Iran is actively plotting against multiple Americans. Waiting to impose consequences until after an attack is a dereliction of duty.”

“The latest ‘deal’ reportedly includes significant concessions on the International Atomic Energy Agency probe of Iran’s past nuclear work and IRGC sanctions,” McCaul said. “Between these dangerous proposals and the mounting evidence of Iran’s terrorist activity on U.S. soil, I urge the administration to finally withdraw from talks and shift its focus to compelling Iran to stop its malign activities. American lives depend on it.”

SCOTLAND POLICE INVESTIGATING DEATH THREAT AGAINST JK ROWLING AFTER RUSHDIE STABBING

ANOTHER US DELEGATION IN TAIWAN: The Chinese military stepped up drills around Taiwan in protest of another U.S. congressional delegation showing up in Taipei, unannounced, less than two weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s celebrated visit.

The delegation, led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and members of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, which said in a statement that the “delegation had an opportunity to exchange views with Taiwan counterparts on a wide range of issues.”

The five-member delegation includes Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, the Republican non-voting delegate from American Samoa.

“Full of thanks for the bicameral & bipartisan #US congressional delegation led by @SenMarkey for their visit,” tweeted Wu. “Authoritarian #China can't dictate how democratic #Taiwan makes friends, wins support, stays resilient & shines like a beacon of freedom.”

PELOSI DENIES REPORTS THAT MILITARY DISCOURAGED TAIWAN TRIP

TICE PARENTS: ‘WE ARE STILL WAITING’: It’s been three and half months since a White House meeting in which Debra and Marc Tice, parents of journalist Austin Tice, met President Joe Biden and received assurances that new efforts would be made to secure the release of their son believed being held in Syria for 10 years now. They were hopeful but say little has changed.

“On May 2, we were grateful to meet with President Biden in the Oval Office. There, he gave his senior national security staff an unambiguous directive to engage directly with the Syrian government. But 102 days later, we are still waiting to see Austin walk free,” the Tices write in an op-ed in the Washington Post. “Biden gave his administration a clear directive: Get a meeting with the Syrians, listen to them, find out what they want and work with them. So why has it taken three months for the administration to even start following these instructions? We expected Austin to be home by now.”

“We know with certainty that he has been held by the Government of Syria,” Biden said in a statement last week, marking the tenth anniversary of Tice’s abduction. “We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home.”

“There is no higher priority in my Administration than the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” Biden said. “That is a pledge I have made to the American people and to Austin’s parents, and it is one that I am determined to uphold.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: House GOP report accuses Biden of knowingly misleading public about Afghanistan exit

Washington Examiner: Brother of marine killed in Kabul airport bombing commits suicide at memorial year after attack

Washington Examiner: Ukraine prepares for counteroffensive before Russia formalizes annexations

Washington Examiner: Russia threatens to sabotage European nuclear power plants

Washington Examiner: Zelensky says Ukrainian forces will target Russian soldiers firing from nuclear plan

Washington Examiner: Another congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan after Pelosi visit

Washington Examiner: Pelosi denies reports that military discouraged Taiwan trip

Washington Examiner: Israel strikes Iranian targets near Russian bases in Syria: Reports

Washington Examiner: Scotland police investigating death threat against JK Rowling after Rushdie stabbing

Washington Examiner: Trump requests privileged records seized by FBI be returned — on Truth Social

Washington Examiner: Trump claims 'standing order' declassified records as soon as they left Oval Office

Washington Examiner: Adam Schiff: No evidence of Trump declassification in plain sight

Washington Examiner: Rand Paul calls for repeal of Espionage Act following Mar-a-Lago raid

Washington Examiner: Trump FBI raid: Explaining 'Top Secret Compartmented Information

Washington Examiner: National Archives rejects Trump claims that Obama took classified records

Washington Examiner: Jan. 6 attendee who attacked FBI building previously handled classified info for military: Report

Washington Examiner: Opinion: China and South Korea square off over missile defense

Wall Street Journal: China’s Xi Jinping Plans To Meet With Biden In First Foreign Trip In Nearly Three Years

Stars and Stripes: ‘New Normal’: China Likely To Continue Testing Taiwan By Land And Sea, Security Expert Says

New York Times: Threat to Ukraine Nuclear Plant Increases as Fighting Rages

Washington Post: On The Kherson Front Lines, Little Sign Of A Ukrainian Offensive

Washington Post: U.S. Allies Most Vulnerable To Russia Press For More Troops, Weapons

Reuters: A Year Of Taliban Rule Gives Afghanistan Security But Little Hope

NPR: A Marine Who Helped Lead Afghanistan Evacuations Reflects On Those Left Behind

AP: Trump didn’t send fundraising email about ‘nuke codes’

Breaking Defense: First Live Rounds Of Army’s Hypersonic Weapon Coming In ‘Roughly’ 6 Months

Air Force Magazine: Air Force Keeping F-16s, Not Moving Toward Fighter Derived From MR-F or T-7 for Now

Air Force Magazine: Requirements for KC-Y Likely in Fall; Analysis of Alternatives for KC-Z Set for 2024

Air Force Magazine: USAF Already Considering the Future of Combat Search and Rescue After Cutting HH-60W Buy

Washington Times: IG Says ‘Inconsistent’ Active Shooter Policies On Military Bases Could Mean More Casualties

19fortyfive.com: Afghanistan One Year Later: What Does America Really Think?

19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Is Waging Guerilla Warfare Hell on Putin

19fortyfive.com: Opinion: We Must Bring About a Free and Unified Korea

The Hill: Opposition Builds Against Plan To Turn Naval Academy Park On Chesapeake Bay Into Golf Course

Calendar

MONDAY | AUGUST 15

10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: "Afghanistan One Year Later: Consequences and Responsibilities," with Bill O'Keefe, executive vice president for mission, mobilization, and advocacy at Catholic Relief Services; retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Nagata, former director of strategic operational planning at the National Counterterrorism Center; and Fawzia Koofi, CSIS visiting fellow https://www.csis.org/events/afghanistan-one-year-later

12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: "U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's Return, One Year Later," with Former Afghanistan Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Javid Ahmad, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council; former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani, director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute; Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal; Matin Bek, former chief of staff to the Afghan president; and Metra Mehran, fellow at New York University's Center for Global Affairs https://www.hudson.org/events/2138-virtual-event

TUESDAY | AUGUST 16

12 p.m. — Cato Institute virtual discussion: "The Taliban Today," with Andrew Watkins, senior expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace; Hassan Abbas, professor of international studies at the National Defense University; Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity; and Sahar Khan, research fellow at the Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/events/taliban-today

12 p.m. — Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies virtual discussion: “Do Russian Oligarchs Retain Property Rights in the West?" with Ronald Cass, dean emeritus of Boston University's School of Law and president of Cass & Associates, and former vice-chairman and commissioner of the International Trade Commission; Paul Stephan, law professor at the University of Virginia's School of Law; and Jeremy Rabkin, law professor at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School https://fedsoc.org/events/do-russian-oligarchs-retain-property-rights-in-the-west

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 17

8:50 a.m. 400 Courthouse Square, Alexandria — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement two-day Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Summit,” with Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, delivering keynote address on "The Evolving Threat Environment and Staying Ahead of the Adversary" https://www.idga.org/events-counteruas-usa

10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — Hudson Institute discussion: "From Fist Bumps to Missile Fire: One Month since President Biden's Middle East Trip," with Andrea Stricker, nonproliferation and biodefense program deputy director and research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East; Jonathan Schachter, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; and Robert Greenway, adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute https://www.hudson.org/events/2140-from-fist-bumps-to-missile-fire

10:30 a.m. 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. — National Council of Resistance of Iran - U.S. Representative Office conference: “Tehran's nuclear agenda on the 20th anniversary of Natanz revelation," with former Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton; former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph; former International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen; former European Command Deputy Commander Gen. Chuck Wald; James Rosen, chief White House correspondent at Newsmax; Soona Samsami, U.S. representative at NCRI; and Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI Washington Office RSVP at [email protected]

THURSDAY | AUGUST 18

8:50 a.m. 400 Courthouse Square, Alexandria — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Summit, with Army Col. Tony Behrens, deputy director of the Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Organization https://www.idga.org/events-counteruas-usa

10:15 a.m. Colorado Springs, Colorado — National Defense Industrial Association 2022 Space Warfighting Integration Forum with opening keynote remarks from Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander U.S. Space Command. https://www.ndia.org/events

12 p.m. 1717 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies discussion: "Bosnia Herzegovina in Crisis," with former Bosnia Herzegovina Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events

11 a.m. Pentagon River Entrance — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah to the Pentagon

2:30 p.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — Cato Institute book discussion: "America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition," with author Ali Wyne, senior analyst at the Eurasia Group; Emma Ashford, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Eric Gomez, director of defense policy studies at the Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/events/americas-great-power-opportunity

MONDAY | AUGUST 22

4 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. — American Enterprise Institute in-person book forum event: “A New Approach to US-China Relations,” with Aaron Friedberg, nonresident senior fellow, AEI and author of Getting China Wrong; and Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies, AEI https://www.aei.org/events/a-new-approach-to-us-china

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 24

10 a.m. — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace virtual Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense Forum, with Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, program executive officer, strategic submarines https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

1:00 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual and in-person event: “The Future of Army Vertical Lift,” with Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director, Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team, U.S. Army Futures Command; and Cynthia Cook, director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and senior fellow, International Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/future-army-vertical-lift

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