General Miller, Top U.S. Commander, one of the first U.S. Soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan, steps down

BACKGROUND of Feature below: Gen Scott Miller is the longest serving officer in the Afghan war.

General Miller was among the first American Soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and later helped create and lead the Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination Center as a senior leader on the U.S. Joint Staff. Since 2013, General Miller commanded special operations units in Afghanistan, including the NATO Special Operations Command, the Special Operations Joint Task Force and Combined Forces Special Operations Command according to DOD.

CENTCOM gave the latest and final update for a while:

U.S. Central Command provides the following update on the orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, as of 10 a.m. on July 5, 2021.

Since the President’s decision, the DoD has retrograded the equivalent of approximately 984 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and have turned nearly 17,074 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition. The 17,074 pieces of equipment comprise almost entirely federal excess personal property. Most of this equipment is not defensive articles or considered to be major equipment.

Also, the U.S. has officially handed over seven facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

The withdrawal process continues; U.S. Central Command estimates that we have completed more than 90% of the entire withdrawal process.

NOTE: For operational security and to preserve force protection, we will not be updating the specific percentage of the exit process going forward. CENTCOM

Miller Transfers Command in Afghanistan to McKenzie

JULY 12, 2021 | BY JIM GARAMONE, DOD NEWS

Army Gen. Austin S. Miller transferred responsibility for U.S. Forces Afghanistan to Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie in a ceremony in Kabul today.

McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, praised Miller as “the right leader at the right time” and reassured Afghans of America’s continued support.

Miller has served as the commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan and the NATO Resolute Support Mission since September 2018. He is the man who implemented the decision to retrograde U.S. and NATO forces from the country.

McKenzie also praised Miller for how he has handled the withdrawal. The general orchestrated moving millions of tons of equipment and thousands of personnel. All of this was done safely, swiftly and sensibly. At the same time, Miller continued advising and assisting Afghan National Security Forces.

Miller spoke after transitioning command over to McKenzie. “It is important that the military sides set the conditions for a peaceful political settlement in Afghanistan,” he said. “We can all see the violence that is taking place across the country. But we know that with that violence, what is difficult to achieve is that settlement. What I tell the Taliban is they are responsible, too. The violence that is going on is against the will of the Afghan people. It needs to stop.”

McKenzie said the ceremony is not “the end of the story, it is rather the end of a chapter.” 

The Centcom commander said he will remain focused on four things, with the first being to protect U.S. diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. He will also look to enable the safe operation of the airport in Kabul. He will continue to provide appropriate advice and assistance to Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Finally, he will support counterterrorism efforts.

Following the transition, McKenzie met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

United States Army General Austin Scott Miller, NATO-led Resolute Support mission and United States Forces-Afghanistan commander, most recently commanded the Joint Special Operations, Command where he was responsible for global special operations in support of U.S. national defense.

General Miller has extensive experience in counterterrorism operations alongside NATO and regional partners.

As a senior military officer, he led the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, where he modernized training for all U.S. Army Infantry and Armor Soldiers. A career special operations officer, General Miller has commanded U.S. combat formations at every level.

The withdrawal is “more than 90 percent” complete, according to U.S. Central Command. Most of the American troops and equipment have left, with fewer than 1,000 troops remaining to protect the U.S. embassy and help with securing the international airport in Kabul, VOA reported.