sqwakvfr

The Marshall Plan was executed by the military. I did not see C-47's with DOS flying over Berlin? Have you ever worked for the State Department? Have you been inside the Kabul embassy? I can say yes to both and what I saw from inside was disappointing and at times shocking. Just imagine being in a room full of Ivy League school graduates who are tasked to rebuild Afghanistan. The theoretical discussions went on and on but when it came time to go out into the field to engage the locals getting the State Department personnel to accompany military members was like pulling teeth. Most did not want to leave the comforts of working and living in the secure Embassy compound that had great food, great gym and a store where you can buy all the adult beverages you could desire. You can't rebuild a nation sitting in a cubicle while typing away on a laptop. Many of the civil and diplomatic missions were carried out by soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors who knew nothing about these two functions. Today's State Department.

It does state non diplomatic personnel must leave as well. So the agreement was to keep the diplomatic mission on going?

"non diplomatic" personnel? So the US agreed to keep the diplomatic mission on going. So why was the Embassy closed and what about the 8600 military personnel?

i don't rely upon wikipeidis for accurate information. Again did the agreement call for the complete withdrawal of all US Government personnel from Afghanistan and the closure of the Embassy by August 31, 2021? Cannot seem to find a reliable source for the true answer.

So is China now going to hold military drills to protest this as well? China just sanctioned the Ronald Reagan Library because Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen spoke their.

A picture is worth a 1000 words. I can think of chaos, poor planning and poor execution. Military operates in three phases: 1) Attack 2) Hold 3) Withdrawal. This withdrawal appeared to be like it either was rushed or the plan was improvised. I can also think of other terms like SNAFU, FUBAR AND BOHICA(for those who do not know this acronym it is Bend Over Here It Comes Again).

Military Intelligence = OXYMORON. I know from my time in the Army.

So the Trump Administration agreed to completely pull out all US Governmental institutions and personnel from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021?

So the agreement required the withdrawal of all US Government personnel by August 31, 2021? The closure of the US Embassy, all diplomats, aid workers and all military personnel and equipment must leave. So this agreement required the US to cu toff all diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. Also, if the August 31, 2021 was such a hard deadline then what did the Biden Administration do from Feb to early August 2021 to plan for the complete withdrawal from Afghanistan? It seems to me the withdrawal was chaotic, lacked coordination with allies and poorly planned. I am not saying Donald Trump and his people would have done any better or worse.

The Biden Administration had from Feb to Aug of 2021 to plan this withdrawal if the August 31 was a hard deadline for the complete withdrawal of all US Government presence in Afghanistan. So what was done for 6 months by Anthony Blinken, Lloyd Austin and Mark Miley?

Again you stated the Pentagon blames the Trump Administration? The entire report has not been released and probably never will due to security reasons. However I believe reporters were given today a summary and this is why news reports have been circulating today.

This agreement was signed by which parties? The US and the Taliban? The US, Taliban, and the Afghan Government which was still in power? I do not ever recall hearing about such a deadline. Also, did this mean the US would not even have an embassy in Kabul? In essence the plan all along was to cutoff all diplomatic relations with Afghanistan?

Who at the Pentagon has publicly blamed the Tramp Administration?

At the time the Taliban was not in power. The Afghan Government was still in power until President Ashraf Ghani did a runner to Dubai. Then all hell broke loose. No one have ever stated a date for the the complete withdrawal of all US Military Personnel. Also, the plan was still to 1) Keep the US Embassy open, 2) Maintain small military force for training, advisory and force protection of the US Embassy and diplomats. But none of this happened. Also, “withdrawal” of all US Personnel and the closure of the Embassy? ”the devil is in the details”?

I would disagree. I have spent time in the following parts of A-Stan: 1) Kabul 2) Bagram,3) Kandahar 4) Gardez 5) Herat 6) Jalabad. Bagram Air Base which at one time had the busiest runway in the world had started retrograde (tearing things down) at least 2 years before Joe Biden came into office. The process of retrograding or withdrawal was in process. It was like most things in the military, slow and at times bureaucratic. For some unknown reason those in the Biden Administration(DOD, DOS and the White House) decided a rapid “Get the hell out” had to be executed before Sep 11, 2021`. Was the 20 year anniversary of 9-11 a factor in the rapid withdrawal? I do not not know the answer to this question because no one with integrity or courage has stated so in public. So why was there such an urgent need to be out and turn out the lights? This question will never be answered because it would take a persons with integrity and courage to answer it. I do not see anyone that fits that description at the Pentagon or the White House. If Gen Miley had advised Biden that this withdraw idea was a good plan and needed to be executed by September 2021 then I can’t put the entire blame on him. If Biden actually took the advice of his military leaders then shame on General Miley and his staff of useless officers who only care about their next promotion and careers.

I knew two men who did not come from Herat and Jalabad. The blame game is not important but accountability is. So far not a single senior military officer has been fired or forced into early retirement. The fact that Gen Miley is still the chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff is in a word disgusting for all us who served in Afghanistan. This includes myself. If Joe wants to blame anyone else he can go back as far 2006 because back then Bush was spending 4 Billion a month in Iraq and 1 Billion a month in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was never a top priority for the Department of Defense or the single most useless governmental agency in modern times: The State Department.

The USD will collapse when the $100 dollar bill is no longer the means to complete other than the legal transactions. I have seen the $100 dollar in some of the most remote places in the world.

False Equivocation? So since Colin Powell and George Bush lied to justify the Iraq War then all Americans are liars? Not a fan of Russians but they are not all the same. Yes I am American and i have encountered people who do not like me because of my nationality. This stereotyping happens to just about everyone.

I no longer ask Why when it comes to anything related to Thai People or Thai Businesses. I just wonder it other Thai. Bank apps have this issue or just Bangkok Bank?

I just got off the phone with Bangkok Bank. The solution for me on my Samsung Phone was to turn off the Norton Anti-Virus app on my phone. So from now on in order to access the Bangkok Bank app on my phone I have first turn off the anti-virus app, access my account on the app, turn the anti-virus app back on. TIT and just another day in LOS.

Do you have Hotspot or tethering option on your package?

In the US I used to go to jail at least 3 to 5 times a week. I was the one taking people to jail. The scariest prison I saw was Poli Charlki Prision just outside of Kabul. Of course every inmate in there is now free and probably has a government job.

Departed BKK in late Jan 2023 on an international flight on ANA. Arrived at the airport at 0420 and checkin was complete at 0600. Got through security and immigration by 0620. Got to the gate at 0630 and boarding had already started. Got my re-entry permit at Immigration two weeks before. It was very crowded at BKK on that morning and things were moving very slowly. Maybe it is different now but I would get the reentry permit before going to the airport. This is just my opinion.

The negative consequences of this will not be realized for years. This is because when children are exposed this horrible air their underdeveloped lungs and respiratory system cannot handle it. Cases of asthma for young people could spike in the coming years. Inhalers will be high demand. Is the Ministry of Health planning for this?

As far as I know this is the first time that a suspect in a mass shooting has been identified as a Transgender Female. All mass shootings tragic but this time the suspect does not fit the typical profile a mass shooter.