Afghanistan Peace CampaignHe emphasized that other NATO member states must enhance their defense capabilities to meet the standards outlined in the alliance’s charter.
Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, described NATO allies’ contribution to the war in Afghanistan as minimal during a session in the US Senate.
He emphasized that other NATO member states must enhance their defense capabilities to meet the standards outlined in the alliance’s charter.
Hegseth added that during NATO’s presence in Afghanistan, there was a lack of real capability on the battlefield, and most of the burden was shouldered by US forces. He said: “We also wore a patch on our shoulder. Yes. That said ISAF, International Security Assistance Force. And you know what the joke was? That it stood for, I saw Americans fighting. Because what ultimately was a lot of flags, a lot of flags, was not a lot of on-the-ground capability.”
Some political analysts believe the 20-year presence of the US and NATO in Afghanistan was primarily to achieve geopolitical objectives—not nation-building—which is why it was ultimately unsuccessful.
Moin Gul Samkani, a political analyst, stated: “They intended to obstruct China, Russia, and Iran, and to disrupt China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative—not to rebuild Afghanistan.”
Sadeq Shinwari, a military affairs expert, said: “The chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, which ended in failure, reflected the flawed political strategies of these countries toward Afghanistan.”
Previously, Donald Trump had also repeatedly criticized the US military strategy, saying the American military had been deployed for so-called nation-building missions in countries that had no real need for US military presence.