UK premier replaces armed forces chief after Afghanistan debacle

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has replaced the chief of Britain’s armed forces following the conclusion of the country’s catastrophic military presence in Afghanistan and the abrupt withdrawal of troops from the war-ravaged country.

Johnson selected on Thursday Admiral Tony Radakin — head of the British navy — as the next chief of Britain’s armed forces to replace General Nick Carter, who had been criticized over the messy retreat from Afghanistan, after the latter steps down at the end of November.

Announcing the appointment, Johnson said Radakin had proved himself an “outstanding military leader” who would “lead the armed forces at a time of incredible change.”

The 55-year-old, for his part, said he was humbled to have been selected in a time of enormous change, adding that Johnson and the British defense secretary, Ben Wallace, “have demanded reform.”

It is for the first time in 20 years that a sea lord responsible for the Royal Navy is appointed as the chief of Britain’s armed forces.

Radakin’s predecessor was heavily taken to task for appearing “naive” about the Afghan Taliban and the group’s sweeping advances across the war-torn country in August, which led to the fall of provincial centers in a domino effect fashion.

The government of Afghanistan rapidly collapsed on August 15 and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country in the face of lightning advances of the Taliban that followed US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the US-led NATO troops in a disastrous pullout.

After the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, the UK managed to evacuate about 15,000 people, leaving many thousands behind, who aided the British forces in the war-torn country.

The humiliation of the lightning Taliban takeover in Afghanistan after a 20-year war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and at least a trillion dollars caused widespread criticism of British authorities.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was questioned by the members of parliament over his mishandling of the Afghanistan crisis, which has been described as “the biggest failure of foreign policy in a generation.”

Britain lost 457 armed forces personnel in Afghanistan or 13 percent of the US-led military coalition's 3,500 fatalities since 2001.

MG