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
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons]()
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
