press conference, you know, why can t we look at a way forward and make right decisions in the future? bret: senator wicker asked the chairman about credibility around the world. take a listen to this answer. our credibility would be damaged. our credibility has been gravely damaged, has it not, general milley? i think that our credibility, with allies and partners around the world and with adversaries, is being intensely reviewed by them to see which way this is going to go. and i think that damage is one word that could be used, yes. bret: damage could be used. senator, where do you think this is going in the eyes of our allies around the world? well, i was on a co-del in eastern europe and i talked to some eastern allies. what we heard was, yes, our credibility has been damaged. we are looking at allies who are questioning who we are if we are firm in our commitments.
then and they should pate bills. they should be honest about the cost that we re going to incur, that taxpayers are going to face. and this idea that it s free or this idea that nobody who makes under $400,000 is going to pay taxes? look at what the stock market did today? people understand what s going on here? nothing s free. everybody is going to be taxed. you look at inflation going up. that s a tax on the middle class and it is a tax on working americans. bret: but, senator, you concede that both parties, republicans and democrats, have been spending like drunken sailors for years up on capitol hill? you know, i have said that before, too. and then we get hit with covid. bret: yeah. we worked together in a bipartisan way trying to address that and we did spend $6 trillion. but i think republicans are saying, you know, we didn t need to do that 1.9 trillion in march because let s go back and see where that other money has been spent on.
the globe. those statements about the recommendations directly contradict what the president said about the decision. today s testimony before the senate armed services committee featured tough questioning by senators from both parties. we will talk live with nebraska republican senator deba fisher who joined in that questioning today. we ll talk to her later in the show. first up tonight jennifer griffin live from the pentagon with the latest. good evening, jennifer. good evening, bret. u.s. comeashts admitted they have very few levers to stop. the military s top adviser agreed with the republican senator that the war s end was a failure logistical success but logistical failure. military advisers testified they did not advise pulling all u.s. troops out of afghanistan. i recommended that we maintain 2500 troops in afghanistan.
0 there s no doubt in my mind that our efforts prevented an attack on the homeland from afghanistan which was our core original mission. and everyone who served in that war should be proud. your service mattered. beginning in 2011, we steadily drew down our troop numbers, consolidated and closed bases and retrograded equipment from afghanistan. at the peak in 2011, we had 97,000 u.s. troops alongside 41,000 nato troops in afghanistan. ten years later, when the ambassador signed the doha agreement lton 29 february 2020 the united states had 12,600 troops with 8,000 nato and 10,500 contractors. this has been a ten-year multi-administration drawdown, not a 19-month or 19-day one. under the doha agreement, the u.s. would begin to withdraw forces contingent upon taliban meeting certain conditions, which would lead to a political agreement between the taliban and the government of afghanistan. there were seven conditions applicable to the taliban and eight conditions applicable to the united
0 there s no doubt in my mind that our efforts prevented an attack on the homeland from afghanistan, which was our core original mission. and everyone who has served in that war has been proud. your service mattered. beginning in 2011, we steadily drew down our troop numbers, consolidated and closed bases and retrograded equipment from afghanistan. at the peak in 2011, we had 97,000 u.s. troops alongside 41,000 nato troops in afghanistan. ten years later, when ambassador calisade signed the agreement on 29, february, 2020, the united states had 12,600 u.s. troops with 8,000 nato and 10,500 contractors. this has been a ten-year multi-administration drawdown. not a 19-month or 19-day ne-yo. under the doha agreement, the u.s. would begin to withdraw its forces, contingent upon the taliban meeting certain conditions, which would lead to a political agreement between the taliban and the government of afghanistan. there were seven conditions applicable to the taliban and eight conditions app