Afghanistan War Commission

AWC Commissioners met today in a plenary session at the U.S. Capitol to continue the pick-axe work of developing our independent, objective assessment of the 20-year #Afghanistan War. You can follow our work at https://lnkd.in/dNj6JDWB. Shamila Chaudhary Colin Jackson Robert (Bob) Ashley Jeremy Bash Luke Hartig Michael Allen Dipali Mukhopadhyay Daniel Fata Jeffrey Dressler Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin EJ Degen Pamela G. Faber Shearman

The Afghanistan War Commission has a new website! Please visit and bookmark us at https://lnkd.in/dNj6JDWB for background, reports, hearing transcripts, press releases, contact forms, and more. Special thanks to the IT and website team at the U.S. Senate Sergeant of Arms for their assistance and support! Shamila Chaudhary Colin Jackson Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Jeremy Butler Pamela G. Faber Shearman Mariam Jalalzada Iain R.

Writing for VA News, AWC commissioner and #Afghanistan War veteran LTC Chris Molino, U.S. Army (retired), discusses why he chose to serve on the Commission, what we hope to achieve, and how veterans can engage with the Commission on our mission to learn lessons from the 20-year war. Shamila Chaudhary Colin Jackson Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Jeremy Butler Pamela G. Faber Shearman Mariam Jalalzada EJ Degen Raphael Carland Katherine Zimmerman Adam Wunische Neilesh S. https://lnkd.in/e85kADdj

Happy to highlight that we have now posted on our website a full transcript of our first public hearing, plus Dari and Pashto translations of the opening statements delivered by our co-chairs Shamila Chaudhary and Dr. Colin Jackson. We intend to occasionally provide translations of key documents, reflecting our commitment - consistent with our mandate - to engage Afghans in dialogue as we develop our assessment of the 20-year Afghanistan War.  https://lnkd.in/enfZbhbi Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Pamela G. Faber Shearman Jeremy Butler Mariam Jalalzada

Thank you to the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) for hosting commissioner Seth Jones and several of our AWC staff for their “Lessons Learned Since 9/11” conference in Annapolis last week. The first-rate conference featured several former senior military officers, civilians leaders, and academics whose lived experiences and expert insights can inform our research as we work to deliver the in-depth assessment of the 20-year #Afghanistan War that Congress tasked us with. Grateful for the opportunity to participate! Pictured here (from left) are AWC staff Carmella Saia and EJ Degen; Gen. John Allen (ret. USMC); AWC staffer Katherine Zimmerman; Maj. Gen. Ed Reeder (ret. U.S. Army); and AWC commissioner Seth Jones. Shamila Chaudhary Colin Jackson Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Mariam Jalalzada Jeremy Butler Iain R.

On this day, we honor the 2,977 innocent victims of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the four hijacked flights.   For our commission, 9/11 is also meaningful as the starting point for our research effort into the two-decade war in Afghanistan that followed. It is why our first site visit was to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in February. At our first public hearing in July, we dedicated time to reflect on the horrific events that transpired that day.    As our co-chair Dr. Colin Jackson remarked at the hearing, “We seek to recall the origins of the terror threat that culminated in the attacks of September 11th and to connect the story told by the 9/11 Commission to the early decisions and episodes of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.”    We are committed to honoring the memories of the victims of this day by preserving the history and capturing the lessons of the long war that followed. https://lnkd.in/gsta-7-p https://lnkd.in/enfZbhbi Shamila Chaudhary Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Pamela G. Faber Shearman Jeremy Butler Mariam Jalalzada Dr. Jonathan Schroden EJ Degen Neilesh S. Raphael Carland Katherine Zimmerman Brian Callsen

Today marks three years since the U.S. withdrawal from #Afghanistan. The Afghanistan War Commission is doing the hard work to understand lessons learned from the final chapter of the war, and the two decades that preceded it. As we work urgently towards fulfilling our congressional mandate, our efforts honor all who served and sacrificed. Furthermore, as our co-chairs Shamila Chaudhary and Colin Jackson described in the Commission's first interim report, weaving together "a rigorous and accessible narrative about the policy objectives of the U.S. war in Afghanistan" that allows us to study the past so that we might better prepare for the future. Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Dr. Jonathan Schroden Jeremy Butler Pamela G. Faber Shearman Mariam Jalalzada EJ Degen Raphael Carland Neilesh S. Brian Callsen Katherine Zimmerman Eric Minton Elizabeth Nathan Conrad [Image caption: Medical support personnel from the 86th Medical Group and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center help an Afghan mother and family off a U.S. Air Force C-17, call sign Reach 828, moments after she delivered a child aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, August 21, 2021. U.S. Air Force courtesy photo by Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer. Photo ID:6833716. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.]

Thirteen American servicemembers and 170 Afghans died this day three years ago in a terrorist attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate during the evacuation from Kabul. Among the fallen was U.S. Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, who was supporting Operation Allies Refuge during the evacuation. Those who served and sacrificed during the 20-year war – Afghans and allies as well as Americans – remain in the forefront of our minds as we examine the key decisions that shaped the war’s outcome. We aim to honor their sacrifices and secure their legacies by helping future generations of policymakers and warfighters learn the lessons of the #Afghanistan War.   Shamila Chaudhary Colin Jackson Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Dr. Jonathan Schroden Jeremy Butler Mariam Jalalzada Eric Minton Pamela G. Faber Shearman EJ Degen Raphael Carland Katherine Zimmerman Neilesh S. Elizabeth Nathan Conrad [Image caption: The Navy Ceremonial Guard transports the casket of Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Maxton W. Soviak, a Berlin Heights, Ohio native, at a graveside service Sept. 13, 2021. Soviak, who was killed Aug. 26, 2021 during an attack at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan while supporting Operation Allies Refuge, was awarded the Purple Heart and Fleet Marine Force Corpsman warfare badge for his brave service while deployed to Afghanistan with 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Maddelin Hamm.) Photo ID:6833716. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.]

Our first interim report to Congress is out! In it, we detail the Commission's activities to date, our research priorities, and our plans for the coming year. As our co-chairs Shamila Chaudhary and Colin Jackson write in the preface, "we are accelerating and intensifying our work, determined as we are to deliver the rigorous, independent, and objective assessment of the war that those who served and sacrificed, American policymakers, and the larger public expect and deserve." Read our full report at the link below and follow our progress. https://lnkd.in/ehm2Z4jW Jaime Cheshire Julie Martin Dr. Jonathan Schroden Mariam Jalalzada Jeremy Butler Elizabeth Nathan Conrad Eric Minton Raphael Carland EJ Degen Katherine Zimmerman Neilesh S. Brian Callsen Pamela G. Faber Shearman