In November 2020, the Trump administration announced that it would reduce U.S. military troops in Iraq and Afghanistan during the president’s final days in office. Christopher Miller, then-acting secretary of defense, said that U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan would drop from 4,500 to 2,500 and troop levels in Iraq would reduce from 3,000 to 2,500 by Jan. 15, 2021.
The move received a mixed response. Some lawmakers praised the plan as a key step in the larger push to unwind the U.S. military’s nearly 20-year involvement in the two countries, while others said it could be a security risk given that violence in both countries remains high.
The Trump administration defended the strategy as part of a longstanding pledge to the American people to withdraw U.S. troops from war zones. “By May, it is President Trump’s hope that they will all come home safely and in their entirety,” Robert O’Brien, Trump’s national security adviser, told reporters in November. “I want to reiterate that this policy is not new. This has been the president’s policy since he took office.”
In February 2020, the U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban that included a promise to withdraw all U.S. troops. At the time, the U.S. had about 12,000 troops in the country; according to the Department of Defense, the U.S. had reduced that number to 8,600 by September. In response, the Taliban agreed to prevent members from using Afghanistan as a location from which to threaten U.S. security.
The administration’s decision received some bipartisan support, including from Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “While the history of conflict in the region is complex and predates our direct involvement, after nearly 20 years of armed conflict, Americans and Afghans alike are ready for the violence to end,” Smith said in a statement. “It is clear that groups like ISIS-K and the Taliban will continue to fight and sow chaos, but ultimately it is up to the Afghans to find a sustainable path to peace.”
Smith added, however, that the troop reduction should be done “responsibly and carefully” to ensure stability. “Our primary goal has been, and continues to be, the prevention of transnational terrorists from launching an attack against the United States from Afghanistan,” Smith said. “In order to contain the terrorist threat as we draw down our troop levels, it is critical that we coordinate the drawdown closely with our allies, as well as our partners in the Afghan government, to protect our interests and those of our allies in Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), said the troop drawdown was a mistake. “Further reductions in Afghanistan will also undercut negotiations there; the Taliban has done nothing — met no condition — that would justify this cut,” Thornberry said in a statement. “As long as there are threats to Americans and American national security in the world, the U.S. must be vigilant, strong, and engaged in order to safeguard our people and fulfill our duty under the Constitution.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also came out against the move and urged caution during the presidential transition. “It is extremely important here in the next couple of months not to have any earthshaking changes in regard to defense or foreign policy,” McConnell told reporters in November.
Lawmakers attempted to block the administration’s plan through the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed both houses of Congress in late 2020 with bipartisan support. The bill, which outlines the U.S. military budget for 2021, would allow Congress to withhold funding for troop withdrawal unless it received a report from the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies explaining the effects of fewer troops on national security. The fiscal year 2021 NDAA passed the Senate by a vote of 84-13 and passed the House by a vote of 335-78.
Trump vetoed the legislation over a number of provisions, notably bill language to rename military bases honoring Confederate generals. However, Congress voted to override the veto in January by an 81-13 Senate vote and a 322-87 vote in the House.
For his part, President Joe Biden has indicated he would keep some troops in Afghanistan to help with counterterrorism efforts. “Americans are rightly weary of our longest war; I am, too,” Biden said in response to a preelection questionnaire. “But we must end the war responsibly, in a manner that ensures we both guard against threats to our homeland and never have to go back.”
For more background, see the November 2007 issue of Congressional Digest on “U.S. Troop Deployment.”
