Afghanistan is a wake-up call for US defence establishment (Opinion)
A screengrab from a video showing utter chaos at Kabul International Airport as the US withdraws from Afghanistan. (Social media)
The world has been shocked by the US and allies departing Afghanistan with their tails between their legs. The abandonment is symptomatic of serious problems within the US defence establishment.
Projections were that the offensive by Afghanistan’s Taliban radical Islamic militants could only take the capital of Kabul within three months. Within hours of that prediction, news reports of one city after another falling to the Taliban began flashing across the world’s news services.
On 15 August, the Taliban entered Kabul, and the collapse of the current Afghan government’s control was imminent. Shortly thereafter, President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country.
On everyone’s mind was this question: How did more than two decades of US training, support and providing equipment to the Afghan National Army vanish overnight and
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures]()
Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
