Gen. Joseph L. Votel (Ret.) on Afghanistan Withdrawal

TALK MORE ABOUT THAT ANCHOR.

BECAUSE AS I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD, THE PRESIDENT EARLIER THIS WEEK SAY IN AN INTERVIEW THAT THIS OUTCOME WAS -- AS HE THAT THIS CHAOS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, WHETHER IT WAS THIS WEEK OR IN THE COMING WEEKS OR MONTHS.

I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT.

I THINK THERE WERE A LOT OF OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR US.

AGAIN, REASONABLE PEOPLE CAN AGREE OR DISAGREE ON THE APPROACH THAT WE'RE TAKING HERE.

BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, WHEN THE DECISION IS MADE TO DEPART, THE WAY THAT WE GO ABOUT THIS, I THINK WE ALWAYS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MITIGATE RISK, NOT ONLY TO OUR FORCE, BUT TO THE -- THE OTHER PARTIES INVOLVED IN THIS AND I BELIEVE THE FACT THAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO THIS AGAINST THE TIMELINE, I THINK HAS CAUSED THIS TO MAKE US DECISIONS THAT HAVE MADE THIS SITUATION MUCH WORSE THAN IT NEEDED TO BE.

LET'S DIG MORE INTO THIS TIMELINE BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, IT WAS SET BY THE PRESIDENT, RIGHT, AND MANY SAY THAT THE TALIBAN HAD NOT BEEN LIVING UP TO ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AND ITS PLEDGES.

YOU WERE ASKED EARLIER IN ANOTHER INTERVIEW ABOUT WHY THE U.S. DIDN'T DO MORE TO SLOW THE TALIBAN'S ADVANCES AND YOU SAID, I THINK IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THIS WAS NO LONGER A PRIORITY FOR OUR GOVERNMENT.

SHOULD IT HAVE BEEN MORE OF A PRIORITY?

I THINK THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

I THINK WE HAD AN OBLIGATION TO TRY TO SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS AS BEST WE COULD, AS WE CONDUCTED OUR WITHDRAWAL HERE.

I THINK WE PUT OURSELVES INTO A SITUATION THAT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO SUPPORT.

I DON'T WANT TO UNDEREMPHASIZE THE DIFFICULTY OF THIS OPERATING ENVIRONMENT RIGHT NOW.

WE ARE RELYING ON RESOURCES COMING FROM OVER THE HORIZON.

THEY HAVE LIMITED OPPORTUNITY TO OPERATE IN THE AIR SPACE OVER AFGHANISTAN.

IT IS A RAPIDLY MOVING, DEVELOPING SITUATION, CERTAINLY AS WE SAW THE CITIES OF AFGHANISTAN FALLING OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO.

SO I THINK -- I WANT TO EMPHASIS, IT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THAT.

IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THAT.

AND I THINK WE HAVE PUT OURSELVES INTO A POSITION WHERE IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR US TO RESPOND TO THIS VERY RAPIDLY DEVELOPING SITUATION.

AND THIS, I THINK HAS MADE THINGS WORSE ON THE GROUND.