This hearing of the National Security subcommittee will now come to order. I want to welcome everyone to todays hybrid hearing. Pursuant to the house rules, some members will appear in person and others will appear remotely via webex. Since some members are appearing in person, let me remind theyone that pursuant to latest guidelines from the house attending physician office, all individuals must wear a face mask. Members who choose not to wear a face mask will not be recognized. That me make a few reminders for those members appearing in person. You will only see members and witnesses appearing remotely on the monitor in front of you when they are speaking in active speaker mode. A timer is visible in the room directly in front of you. For members appearing remotely, i know you are all familiar with webex by now, but let me remind everyone of a few points. You will be able to see each other speaking, in person or remote, as long as you have webex set to active speaker view. If you have questions, please Contact Committee staff immediately. Second, we have a timer that should be visible on your screen in active speaker with the thumbnail view. House rules require that we see you, so please have your camera turned on at all times. Fourth, members appearing remotely who are not recognized should remain muted to minimize background noise and feedback. Fifth, i will recognize members verbally but members retain the right to seek recognition verbally. Members will be recognized in seniority order for questions. If you want to be recognized outside the regular order, you may identify that in several ways. You may use the chat function on your screen, you may send an emailed to the majority staff, or you may unmute your mic. You can also wave frantically and hope we notice you. Obviously we dont want people talking over each other, so my preferences members use the chat function or email to facilitate formal recognition. Committee staff will ensure i am made aware of your request and i will recognize you. Finally i would like to remind members who attended this mornings classified briefing with ambassador khalilzad that at no time should details of that meeting be discussed publicly. We will begin the hearing in just a moment when they tell me they are ready to begin the livestream. The committee will now come to order. The chair is authorized to declare a recess at any time. I recognize myself an opening statement. I would like to take a moment to honor the memory of the late supreme Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. Justice ginsburg was a force for good on the Supreme Court and a true champion for justice, equality, and the balance of power in our representative democracy. May she rest in peace. Hearing, 11with our days ago our country marked the 19th anniversary of the september 11 terrorist attacks. Like pearl harbor, september 11 will forever be asked in inrican be etched American History as a date we will never forget. We will always remember the souls we lost on that horrific day. After that, the United States went to war against al qaeda and the taliban in afghanistan. The conflict has taken the lives of 2200 48 American Service members and injured tens of thousands more. In a significant milestone, the United States and taliban on february 29 signed an agreement for bringing peace to afghanistan, which outlined a way forward for the complex and complete withdrawal of u. S. Forces by mid 2021. In exchange, the taliban promised to come to the negotiating table to prevent terrorist groups such as al qaeda from using afghanistan to stage attacks against the United States and our allies. Despite multiple indications the taliban had not fully met their commitments under the february agreement, the Trump Administration has steadily withdrawn forces from afghanistan, which has ceded much of our leverage to help shape the future of afghanistan for its people and our National Security interests. Former Trump AdministrationNational Security advisor h. R. Mcmaster described the withdrawal of u. S. Forces from afghanistan as an unwise policy. That what wegued require in afghanistan is a sustained commitment to help the Afghan Government and help the Afghan Security forces continue to bear the brunt of this fight. Since u. S. Forces began to withdraw from afghanistan, security conditions on the ground have deteriorated. In june, the department of defense estimated the taliban sustained levels of violence five times higher than those observed during a february 2020 reduction in violence period. Generalm command Kenneth Mckenzie described these escalations as not consistent with someone negotiating in good faith. After months of violence, delay, and a contentious prisoner exchange, the governor of afghanistan and the taliban met in doha earlier this month to begin intraafghanistan negotiations. Distrustful remain of the talibans true intentions. Many afghans, especially women and girls, are justifiably concerned that the human rights and democratic gains they have achieved with u. S. Support since 2001 could become jeopardized if the taliban returned to power through force or a negotiated settlement. Given the legacy of past failures, we must remain clear eyed about the stakes of this moment. If the taliban are unwilling or unable to abide by their commitments or if political negotiations collapsed, the resulting crisis would likely have a grave consequence for the Afghan People, regional stability, and interNational Security. I am grateful to our witnesses, the special representative for afghan reconciliation zalmay deputyad, and the secretary of defense for indo pacific affairs, david helvey, for being here today to answer our questions about the risks in the Trump Administrations efforts to bring the war in afghanistan to a close. Well we are eager for our sons and daughters in uniform to return home, it is important we dont recklessly bargain away the rights and freedoms the Afghan People have gained as such a huge cost in American Coalition and afghan lives. I will yield to the gentleman from wisconsin, our Ranking Member, for his opening statement. Thank you much. A very important topic and i am glad we are having this hearing. I am pleased to have these witnesses here today. Through the hard work of the Trump Administration, there may be a prospect for peace in afghanistan at last. They have had successes in bahrain and the united arab emirates, adhering to treaties of peace between those countries and israel, something i never would have dreamed of a few years ago. Those agreements will have a Lasting Impact on the prospect of peace in the region. The Trump Administration has prioritized peace in the region to ensure the country does not become a haven for terrorist activity. The u. S. And taliban entered into a joint declaration with stipulations the taliban would cease attacking Coalition Forces in exchange for u. S. Troop drawdown. The declaration came with the stipulation that the u. S. And taliban government entered peace negotiations with the discussion of cease fire on the table. Of those negotiations were delayed, they commenced on september 12 of this year and i am hopeful negotiators reach an agreement that leads to stable and long lasting peace in afghanistan, one that protects the rights of all citizens, including women. The obstacles we face are complex. We cannot afford to be deterred. I am interested to hear from the Ambassador Haley we get this right. More than 2400 brave one in women have lost their lives in afghanistan fighting on behalf of the United States during Operation Enduring freedom or operation freedoms sentinel. The u. S. Has been in afghanistan for 19 years with the u. S. Taxpayer cost reaching 1 trillion for 2001. That trillion dollars was a lot bigger a year ago than it is now. The cost cannot continue. I applaud this administration for seeking to bring an end to this conflict. We have to get this right. The American People and afghanistans and afghans deserve to have a peaceful afghanistan. Againoing to emphasize what a great job i think you have done. Foreign affairs are a difficult thing. I am not being partisan here. I cant help but wonder if President Trump was president in 2001, whether we would have gone so i would argue overboard like president bush did. I dont think we would have. If President Trump had took office in 2009, we would not have had the herkyjerky pulling out of iraq, which was also disastrous. He is hitting the sweet spot between where president bush was an president obama did, and i appreciate you guys being part of the team. I am pleased to welcome you today. Your leadership is having a positive effect on afghanistan. I want to thank the Trump Administration or your efforts to bring about a peaceful solution and i look forward to your testimony. Rep. Lynch the gentleman yields back. One housekeeping matter here. , the gentlemanon from new jersey shall be permitted to join the subcommittee and be recognized for questioning the witnesses, as procedure allows. I would like to introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is ambassador zalmay khalilzad, who is the special representative for afghan reconciliation at the department of state. And we will hear from david helvey, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for Indo Pacific Security Affairs at the department of defense. In accordance with committee rules, would you both please rise and raise your right hand . Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god . Let the record reflect that the witnesses have both answered in the affirmative. Without objection, your written statements will be made part of the record. Ambassador khalilzad, you are now recognized for your testimony. Amb. Khalilzad thank you, mr. Chairman. I would like to join you in offering condolences to the ginsberg family. May her soul rest in peace. Chairman,ng, mr. Ranking member grothman, and distinguished members of the committee. Me toet the did not allow appear before this committee sooner during the last several months. I regard making myself available to congress as one of my most significant and important responsibilities, and i welcome this opportunity today, and i am honored to brief you. I was appointed the u. S. Special representative for afghanistan reconciliation in september 2018, with a mandate to find a diplomatic formula that brings ,n end to americas longest war reduces the burden on the u. S. Military and taxpayers, provides the best chance for a sovereign, unified, and representative afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbors, and respectful of the human rights of all its citizens and, most importantly, ensures terrorists can never again use afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States and our allies. Underlying this mandate was an assumption that there was no realistic or viable military ution to this conflicts this complex conflict. To pursue these objectives, we engaged in direct talks with the taliban and Afghan Government in parallel. Our goals were to secure counterterrorism guarantees from the taliban alongside their commitment to engage in direct negotiations with the Islamic Republic of afghanistan on a political settlement and permanent and comprehensive cease fire. 18 months of intense diplomacy led to two significant milestones. The united 29, states and the government of afghanistan jointly declared their commitment to reach a comprehensive and sustainable Peace Agreement to end the war in afghanistan, including guarantees to prevent the use of afghan soil by any International Terrorist groups or individuals against the security of the United States and its allies. Timeline forased withdrawal of the u. S. And Coalition Forces from afghanistan. A political settlement resulting from intraafghan dialogue and negotiations between the taliban team of thetiating Islamic Republic of afghanistan and a permanent and comprehensive cease fire. That same day, the United States signed an historic agreement with the taliban that would make negotiations possible. That agreement has four elements. The first is a commitment by the taliban to prevent any group or individual from using afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States and its allies. On that, we have seen some progress. It is also important to stress that since the signing of the agreement, the taliban have instructed their forces to refrain from attacks on u. S. And Coalition Forces. There have been no american deaths as the result of taliban attacks since the agreement was signed. We continue to engage regularly with the taliban to oversee the implementation of our agreement with respect to these issues and to address issues of concern. The second is a timetable for withdrawal of american and Coalition Forces. That withdrawal is condition based. We are on the path to reduce troop levels to between 4000 and 5000 by this fall, and further withdrawals will be determined based on conditions on the ground and delivery by the taliban on their commitments. The third is the start of afghan peace negotiations. The talks opened on september 12, a truly historic moment. S that are delegation sitting across each other without International Mediators or facilitators have the opportunity to bring an end to more than 40 years of war in their country. Led whereare afghan two warring sides are negotiating a roadmap for the future of their country. The afghans are yearning for peace and there is overwhelming support among them for these talks and for a political settlement. Finally, the taliban agreed that a permanent and comprehensive cease fire would be on the agenda, and afghan peace negotiations. By any measure, the current level of violence are too high. We know that reductions are possible. The taliban carried out two ceasefires and a sevenday reduction in violence preceding the february 29 signing of the agreement between the United States and delavan. Delavan and taliban. We hope the current agreement will reduce to a reduction in violence on both sides. A reduction of violence will help build the trust necessary for the use talks to succeed. We will continue to press for this objective. A political settlement in afghanistan needs broad internal, regional, and national support. We have worked closely with afghanistans neighbors and International Partners to build support for afghanistans peace negotiations. You can see the impact of that list of countries and organizations represented at the Opening Ceremony of the afghan peace negotiations on september 12 and in the u. N. Security Council Statement welcoming the start of negotiations. These achievements are the result of two years of intense diplomacy and have already resulted in american lives saved, the burden on american taxpayers lessened, and giving the afghans a historic opportunity for a political settlement that ends their long war. Process andanled delegations that represent the countrys strength and diversity, including the Afghan Government political leaders, members of civil society, women, and religious and ethnic minorities, the people of afghanistan have reason to hope again. I have urged the afghan leaders to take advantage of the opportunity for a political settlement now available to them. Unfortunately afghan leaders did not behave responsibly or judiciously after soviet forces departed their country as the result of a Resistance Movement that had been backed by the United States. Instead of cooperating and agreeing on a political formula for their country, they started a vicious civil war. We will help afghanistan sees this historic moment and avoid repeating what happened in the 1990s, but ultimately the responsibility is theirs. Our strategy Going Forward is, one, continuing holding the taliban to the commitments they made in the february 29 agreement, including on combating International Terrorism and discussing a permanent and comprehensive cease fire at the peace negotiations. Postureust our force consistent with the agreement and conditions in afghanistan. We are on a path to reduce our 5000s to between 4000 and and with further reductions possible based on conditions. I want to ensure this committee we will always maintain the ability to protect the United States, but staying in is not ann militarily end in itself. Our goal for afghanistan is a nation that these with itself, its neighbors, a