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August 27, 2021
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Note: Col. Ken Allard, USA (Ret.) is a former Cold War intelligence officer, West Point faculty member and Dean of the National War College. He also served for ten years as an on-air military analyst for NBC News.

My heart aches for the 12 Marines and one Navy corpsman killed yesterday in Kabul. Even more for their 13 families awaiting that life-changing visit from serving officers in dress uniforms; bringing the official notification that their loved one gave his life carrying out a noble but badly flawed mission. But there is something especially tragic about Marines engaged in a mercy mission, pitilessly targeted by suicide bombers committing war crimes under the guise of religious obligation.

General Jim Mattis is most closely identified with the slogan, “No better friend, no worse enemy” to describe the marine’s warrior ethos. An alite force of naval infantry, marines deploy on the toughest missions: to seize an island, to assault a beach-head - or to rectify an impossible situation created by a singularly inept president. Sadly, that was the situation in which these hapless marines found themselves: guarding the over-crowded cul-de-sac where the truly desperate scrambled madly for escape. Making these uncertainties infinitely worse was that baseline security was supposedly provided by the Taliban, our sworn enemies since 9-11.

How had it come to this? From the commander-in-chief on down through the entire chain-of-command, effective performance depends on many factors but this above all: Has this admiral or general, commander or colonel set the conditions that will ensure the deployed forces have their greatest chance of success? That unforgiving calculus begins at the service academies, continues through the staff colleges and identifies the elites who attend the war colleges and ultimately fill command billets. Regardless of service, these flag officers have learned to construct forces best geared to prevail in their missions, balancing its components on air, land and sea. An equally important question: What forces will flow to the theater of operations and in which order? And when Murphy’s Law always kicks in, what will you do about it?

Unfortunately, we live in an age of rampant military illiteracy where less than half of one percent of all Americans ever serve in uniform. Military history is an unknown subject in most colleges and may permanently disqualify you from applying for journalism school. Joe Biden embodies that legacy of ignorance, made even worse by his 50 years of service as a legislator. Compromising values is a routine legislative strategy where the most fundamental differences are routinely split down the middle. With that training, Biden always sounds like a pandering poseur when he threatens to use military force. Like yesterday, when according to The Federalist, he swore, “Those who carried out this attack and anyone who wishes America harm know this, we will not forgive…We will not forget. We will hunt you down to make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.” Think our enemies believed him, that their sandals trembled at the fearsome prospect of having annoyed the ferocious Joe Biden? Nope, I don’t either.

The munchkins surrounding him went out of their way to assure Americans that now is not the time for recriminations, that our entire focus must be on de-constructing the artful trap which Biden willfully engineered. While Kabul suffers agonies, Washington endlessly dissembles. To hear Biden tell it, they deliberately bypassed the Bagram air base - one of the biggest in the region - because Kabul’s sole airstrip was closer and more convenient. Seriously, fellas? That they reversed the natural order of operations, removing the bulk of American combat power while leaving the teeming multitudes for last? In what war college do they teach that concept? Even worse: The Daily Wire reported on Wednesday that the US is leaving behind for Taliban use some 70,000 vehicles, 600,000 vehicles and 208 aircraft. The article by Joseph Curl quoted one authority, “We built them a pretty amazing war chest and now all of it is in the hands of the Taliban.” Bottom Line: Biden set the conditions for failure, not success.

His presidential ineptitude may have its greatest effect when our enemies test our open southern border, now stripped of all its defenses. When they do, remember that the 2020 electoral defeat of Donald Trump will cast an even larger shadow in American history than the looming towers of 9-11.

** The original version of this column has been updated by the author.

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Comments 51-60 of 166

  • Steven Lechtenberg

    08/28/2021 09:59 PM

    There are three words to describe Joebama’s cabinet, foreign policy and the joint chumps of staff, thank you Governor for that one, BIDEN’S BODY BAG policy’s. I feel sorry for our troop’s. They are poorly led, ill equipped for their mission and are starting to serve at their own peril. But now when we have to go back, they will face a very well armed adversary, courtesy of Joebama. It only took seven months for Joebama to destroy border security, bring back inflation, turn 20 years of successful counter terrorist fighting into the biggest disaster the world has ever seen, a failure on the wuhan virus, making America the laughing stock of the world and turning our military into a woke organization. By the way I’m a veteran, US Army 1970 to 1974. I doubt most recruits today could a 1970’s basic training cycle

  • Emma L. Anderson

    08/28/2021 05:14 PM

    Absolutely shameful. Biden is an d fool letting our great MARINES be massacred. Then not admitting his failure & blaming it on our GREAT PRESIDENT TRUMP who NEVER WOULD ALLOW this TRAGEDY. Taliban telling AMERICANS when, where, how. Outrageous. RESIGN biden you aren’t QUALIFIED to find your way into the WHITE HOUSE. Sick fool!

  • Emma L. Anderson

    08/28/2021 05:14 PM

    Absolutely shameful. Biden is an d fool letting our great MARINES be massacred. Then not admitting his failure & blaming it on our GREAT PRESIDENT TRUMP who NEVER WOULD ALLOW this TRAGEDY. Taliban telling AMERICANS when, where, how. Outrageous. RESIGN biden you aren’t QUALIFIED to find your way into the WHITE HOUSE. Sick fool!

  • Lum Grant

    08/28/2021 04:27 PM

    Hang in there more are coming out because you spoke what we have been wanting to do, just looking for a leader.
    Should be 20 killed for each marine and Biden is proud we got one, maybe two in retaliation.
    Even in a soccer match that shows we are a loser.
    We old Marines are sure behind you and wish we had more like you speaking out. In our day, those in charge would of done something quick and couldn't imagine 20 years of nonsense.
    Semper Fi !!!

  • Rita Sammons

    08/28/2021 02:33 PM

    What a sad state our country is in. Pray for Americans left over there. Pray for our Country.

  • Suzie T Umbel

    08/28/2021 02:03 PM

    What a well written article although, I believe that Trump won the election. The once respected USA is now the laughing stock of the world.

  • Barbara Faulkner

    08/28/2021 02:03 PM

    You captured.all but my tears. I cry for my lost of my pride of my president. I have always called the man who won my president regardless of his party. Today I have no president. I have a man of treason who does not deserve to honored. I sincerely hope that we can remove him from our history soon. No person has ever disgraced.us.blatantl.
    i expect our Congress to bring him to best for treason.

  • Skip Whaley

    08/28/2021 01:03 PM

    That this was even allowed to happen and worse, it's still being allowed to go on is Astonishing! Pedo Joe is a Traitor to America and the World and as far as I'm concerned he Executed those American Hero's and should be tried for Treason & Crimes against Humanity! He has given Hi Tech weapons to the enemy and killed American Military Personnel but no consequences. Dear God, what have we become?

  • Mary Vayda

    08/28/2021 11:38 AM

    Thank you, sir, foryour service. How and what can we do as civilian citizens, to remove Biden and his administration removed without Congress, due to the fact much of Congress is as much the problem as the administration and we do the voting and they serve, not the other way around. They all should be at the mercy of the American citizen, not the rulers and controllers of our lives. Can a civil law suit be brought by the citizens to SCOTUS to demand their removal due to circumstances that create treasonous actions againts our country like our borders, like Kabul, making deals with terrorists and funding them with abandoned military equipment? There has to be a legal means for the citizens to take charge over the government other than voting them out. What actions through the constitution deems the military the right to implement their forces to protect this country from a tyrannical government?

  • karen lester

    08/28/2021 10:50 AM

    Well said Ken and bang on it! Biden could not be commander in chief to a group of people trying to fight their way out of a paper bag. How unfortunate for our troops that idiots elected him to be their commander. As soon as he screwed this up he should have shut down our borders. Still waiting for that to happen. Now we are all at risk while he hides in his basement. Praying for Impeachment of the whole inept crew.