By Paul S. Gardiner

If indeed the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) unanimously supported the disastrous mechanics of Joe Biden’s pullout from Afghanistan (as claimed by the president), then truly the JCS principals, America’s top military leaders, are nothing but cowards. Strong words, but these individuals are cowards 1) for not strongly opposing such ineptitude by the president in the first place, and 2) for not “manning up” to turn in their uniforms and resign from active service for what happened.

America needs courageous patriots for leaders, not cowards. Whatever happened to “duty, honor, country”? Has America’s military ethos been replaced by adherence to leftist wokeness and attention to perceived white supremacy and white rage? If so, God help us.

The JCS principals include the following: General Mark A. Milley, Chairman, JCS; General John F. Hyten, Vice Chairman, JCS; General James C. McConville, Chief of Staff, Army; Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief, Naval Operations; General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff, Air Force; and General David H. Berger, Commandant, Marine Corps.

This writer ardently hopes that one or more of the above individuals bravely will come forward and explain in detail to the American people exactly what was presented/recommended to the president about, among other things, his disastrous plan to abandon Bagram Air Base (in the middle of the night) and funnel extremely dangerous evacuations through the Kabul airport. Furthermore, why couldn’t evacuations have waited a few months when the Taliban would be much less militarily active? Surely our top military leaders did not support Biden’s inept plan and decision.

To claim that everyone thought the Afghan army was strong enough to continue defending the countryside has been proven to be a lie. It has recently been learned, for example, that on July 23, Joe Biden had a conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wherein Biden said, “I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban. And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.”

In other words, Biden (and undoubtedly the JCS principals) knew that the Afghan army was crumbling, and to claim otherwise is simply a lie. Furthermore, the rapidly deteriorating military situation had already caused the CIA to remove its personnel from Afghanistan!

Thanks to Joe Biden and the JCS, America shamefully abandoned hundreds of American citizens and tens of thousands of Afghan allies who now face a horrific future if not imminent death. Also abandoned was a truly astounding arsenal of military equipment and weapons.

This abandoned military hardware reportedly includes up to 22,174 Humvee vehicles, nearly 1,000 armored vehicles, 64,363 machine guns, and 42,000 pickup trucks and SUVs. The list of abandoned weaponry includes up to 358,530 assault rifles, 126,295 pistols, and nearly 200 artillery units. State-of-the-art military helicopters, warplanes, and other aircraft were also abandoned.

Congressman Jim Bank, a veteran, stated: “The Taliban now has more Black Hawk helicopters than 85% of the countries in the world. But it’s not just weapons. They have night vision goggles, body armor, and, unbelievably, the Taliban now has biometric devices which have the fingerprints, eye scans, and biographical information of all the Afghans who helped us and were on our side over the past 20 years. There is no plan by the administration to get these weapons back. There is no plan to account for any of this equipment or these weapons.”

So, what role did the JCS play in all of the above? The American people deserve to know, and it is time for one or more of the JCS principals to come forth and establish, once again, that America’s armed forces are led by selfless, brave patriots who adhere to “duty, honor, country.”

Paul S. Gardiner is a retired Army officer, Vietnam veteran, and ardent believer in America and its armed forces. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Alabama, and the United States Army War College.