Marine Battalion Commander Blasts 'Inept' Military Leadership Over Afghanistan Withdrawal

A sitting Marine battalion commander on Thursday blasted the "Ineptitude" of U.S. military leadership over the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, saying he was willing to risk losing his 17-year career and future retirement pension in order to "Demand accountability" from top military brass.

Stuart Scheller, in a video posted to Facebook, said military leadership let service members down during the bungled Afghanistan withdrawal, which culminated in a terrorist attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members, including someone with whom Scheller had a close relationship.

"The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down. That service member always rose to the occasion and done extraordinary things," Scheller said.

The scathing public rebuke is a sign of the growing anger among U.S. service members over the pullout and evacuation effort, which has led to a Taliban takeover of the country, left departing Americans vulnerable to deadly terrorist attacks, and stranded thousands of at-risk Afghan military allies.

"I want to say this very strongly. I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders: I demand accountability," said Scheller.

Scheller said the letter missed the point and failed to address the actual concerns of his fellow Marines.

"I'm not saying we've got to be in Afghanistan forever. But I am saying, did any of you throw your rank on the table and say, 'Hey, it's a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone'? Did anyone do that? And when you didn't think to do that, did anyone raise their hand and say, 'We completely messed this up'?" asked Scheller.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/marine-battalion-commander-blasts-inept-military-leadership-over-afghanistan-withdrawal/