Both Milley and McKenzie acknowledged that the agreement struck between the Trump administration and the Taliban in February 2020 had severely diminished the morale of the Afghan National Army, leading to wholesale defections during this year’s onslaught by the Taliban. McKenzie acknowledged that he had recommended maintaining 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, worried that a wholesale withdrawal would hasten the collapse of the Afghan military, remarks which were echoed by Milley. Austin later confirmed that their recommendations were received by President Joe Biden.
But Austin also said later that any residual U.S. troop presence after the Aug. 31 deadline could have led to renewed clashes with the Taliban. “Had we stayed past that date that was agreed early on, the Taliban would begin to attack our forces,” he said.