{"id":2437086,"date":"2025-05-20T16:02:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-launches-task-force-to-probe-afghanistan-withdrawal\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T16:03:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:03:32","slug":"hegseth-launches-task-force-to-probe-afghanistan-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-launches-task-force-to-probe-afghanistan-withdrawal\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth Launches Task Force To Probe Afghanistan Withdrawal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhegseth-launches-task-force-to-probe-afghanistan-withdrawal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2437086&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent advancement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the establishment of a special review panel to investigate the Biden administration&#8217;s tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Hegseth emphasized the need for openness regarding this &#8220;chaotic&#8221; event, which he deemed a &#8220;catastrophic&#8221; moment in U.S. military history.In a memo, he stated that the Department of Defense has been conducting a review over the past three months and concluded that a comprehensive inquiry is necessary to ensure accountability. Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, will lead this Special Review Panel, tasked with examining prior investigations and gathering evidence on the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >decision-making process<\/a> behind the withdrawal, which resulted in significant losses, including the deaths of 13 American service members and the transfer of billions of dollars&#8217; worth of military equipment to the Taliban.Hegseth and former President Trump have voiced strong criticisms of the Biden administration&#8217;s handling of the withdrawal, calling into question the timing and execution of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tucker-carlson-on-the-american-anti-war-movement\/\" title=\"Tucker Carlson&#039;s take on the US anti-war movement\">military pullout<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar,_2025-05-14_P20250515DT-0401.jpg\">Daniel Torok\/The White House\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/20\/hegseth-launches-special-task-force-to-investigate-bidens-chaotic-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Hegseth%20Launches%20Special%20Task%20Force%20To%20Investigate%20Biden%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Chaotic%E2%80%99%20Afghanistan%20Withdrawal&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/20\/hegseth-launches-special-task-force-to-investigate-bidens-chaotic-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Hegseth%20Launches%20Special%20Task%20Force%20To%20Investigate%20Biden%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Chaotic%E2%80%99%20Afghanistan%20Withdrawal&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/20\/hegseth-launches-special-task-force-to-investigate-bidens-chaotic-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/20\/hegseth-launches-special-task-force-to-investigate-bidens-chaotic-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Hegseth%20Launches%20Special%20Task%20Force%20To%20Investigate%20Biden%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Chaotic%E2%80%99%20Afghanistan%20Withdrawal&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/20\/hegseth-launches-special-task-force-to-investigate-bidens-chaotic-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the creation of a special review panel on Tuesday to investigate the Biden administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;chaotic&rdquo; 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump and I have formally pledged full transparency for what transpired during our military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts,&rdquo; Hegseth wrote in an <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2025\/May\/20\/2003719398\/-1\/-1\/1\/DEPARTMENTAL-REVIEW-OF-THE-US-MILITARY-WITHDRAWAL-FROM-AFGHANISTAN-IN-2021.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">agency memo<\/a> released on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-365299262\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In his directive, Hegseth disclosed that the Defense Department has been conducting &ldquo;a review&rdquo; throughout the past three months of what the secretary described as a &ldquo;catastrophic event in our military&rsquo;s history.&rdquo; Based on the probe&rsquo;s findings, Hegseth &ldquo;concluded that we need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The memo tasks Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell to &ldquo;convene a Special Review Panel (SRP) for the Department who will thoroughly examine previous investigations.&rdquo; As noted in a Defense Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Releases\/Release\/Article\/4193103\/secretary-hegseth-statement-directing-dod-review-of-us-military-withdrawal-from\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>, Parnell spent 485 days stationed in Afghanistan and was &ldquo;wounded in action&rdquo; along with many of his fellow soldiers. <\/p>\n<p>According to the directive, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-overturns-chevron-doctrine-upends-administrative-state\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Overturns Chevron Doctrine, Upends Administrative State\">agency&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s Parnell-led investigation will &ldquo;include but [is] not limited to, findings of fact, sources, witnesses, and analyz[ing] the decision making that led to one of America&rsquo;s darkest and deadliest international moments.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This team will ensure ACCOUNTABILITY to the American people and the warfighters of our great Nation,&rdquo; Hegseth wrote.<\/p>\n<p>As highlighted in the memo, the consequences stemming from the Biden-led withdrawal from Afghanistan were severe. <\/p>\n<p>The disastrous pullout led to the deaths of 13 American service members and resulted in <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/23\/biden-left-weapons-worth-billions-to-the-taliban-will-ukraine-aid-meet-a-similar-fate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">billions of dollars&rsquo; worth of U.S. military equipment<\/a>&nbsp;ending up in the hands of the Taliban. As The Federalist&rsquo;s John Daniel Davidson previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/16\/americas-botched-afghanistan-withdrawal-last-year-was-entirely-bidens-fault\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, members of the terrorist group flaunted their possession of such weaponry while marching in their &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/afghanistan-war-us-taliban-takeover-1-year-women-girls-economy-suffer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&lsquo;Victory Day&rsquo; parade<\/a>&rdquo; in Kabul.<\/p>\n<p>President Trump is among the numerous public officials to criticize the Biden administration&rsquo;s withdrawal from the region. During his October 2024 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/26\/a-child-would-know-better-trump-blasts-bidens-disastrous-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blasted<\/a> Biden for the &ldquo;horribly&rdquo; managed pullout, pointing to the decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/av\/world-us-canada-58403601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">withdraw<\/a> American military personnel before all U.S. civilians were evacuated from the country.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Number one, you take the soldiers out last, not first. &hellip; That was their big mistake,&rdquo; Trump said. Biden &ldquo;left the equipment behind, 13 soldiers dead [because of it], but he took everybody out.&nbsp;He took his soldiers out before &mdash; a child would know [better].&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female-Led Comms Is A First. Trump Has That Now\">previously served<\/a> as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/abbey-gate\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Abbey Gate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Afghanistan withdrawal<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Biden administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/defense-department\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Defense Department<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Defense<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/investigation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Investigation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Joe Biden<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pentagon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/sean-parnell\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Sean Parnell<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/task-force\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">task force<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has initiated a review panel to examine the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;chaotic&#8221; withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2437087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pete-Hegseth-3.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[33607,45173,3976,34511],"class_list":["post-2437086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-afghanistan-withdrawal","tag-hegseth","tag-investigation","tag-task-force"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pete-Hegseth-3.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2437086"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2437090,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437086\/revisions\/2437090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2437087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2437086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2437086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2437086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}