A sad series of events. I think most Americans want to close the book on Afghanistan, but didn't expect to see the failure and miscalculation that happened recently.

This is a wake up call for Biden's foreign policy (yeah, go ahead and downvote). Unlike past failures in the "war on terror"; this is not on DoD. The visa process for Afghans and the Embassy evacuation are the core failures of this mess and this falls squarely on the shoulders of DoS. This was not hard to see - even Diplomats and Soldiers knew this was coming. We have consolidated our forces in Kabul over the past few years, clearly communicated our intent, and the Taliban has been building up outside of Kabul for years. Not to mention, if you have ever worked with the ANA; you know they are just looking for a paycheck and a free meal; they are clearly not freedom fighters ready to stand up for their central gov't. A colleague was recently discussing trying to do a Kabul tour, and I responded "You really think our Embassy will be functioning there in a year? The writing is on the wall".

I don't want to get too political, but it clear that DoS needs to fight through the political noise in DC and start focusing on their actual job; which is foreign policy and foreign affairs. The Biden administration has been stronger on slogans than substance when it comes to foreign policy over the first part of his term. Don't even get me started on the Ambassador mess, of lack of.

(with all this said, I personally know several Afghans that worked with us, got a visa and came to the US, eventually got citizenship, and now they are engaged, own businesses, and are having great lives in America. For those that worked the consular process over the past 20 years - thank you. It does work and has changed many lives)