Initial predictions that Russia could quickly take Ukraine, perhaps in a matter of days, haven't come to fruition, and now some are speculating the war will be a long-extended one. Joining that latter camp: Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's top military official, who on Tuesday gave the House Armed Services Committee his prediction on a timeline. "I do think this is a very protracted conflict, and I think it's measured in years," said Milley, who was testifying on a defense budget request, per the Hill. "I don't know about [a] decade, but at least years for sure." CBS News—which notes this was the first appearance for Milley in front of the committee since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24—reports that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made similar remarks Monday during a White House press briefing, noting that the war's next phase "may very well be protracted."
As for the US' part, Milley added on Tuesday: "I think that NATO, the United States, Ukraine, and all of the allies and partners supporting Ukraine will be involved in this for quite some time." He said that he envisions an increased presence of US troops in Europe over the long haul, with service members rotating in cycles in and out of permanent bases. CBS notes there are now about 100,000 American troops stationed in Europe, said to be the largest number since 2005. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had his own time at the Tuesday hearing, during what ABC News describes as a "fiery exchange" with GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz over what Gaetz called strategic missteps due to "wokeism."
The congressman from Florida accused the Pentagon of making bad predictions on Russia's invasion, then complained more generally about the Defense Department's competence. "While everyone else in the world seems to be developing capabilities and being more strategic, [we've] got time to embrace critical race theory at West Point, to embrace socialism at the National Defense University, to do mandatory pronoun training," Gaetz said. A visibly exasperated Austin replied, "This is the most capable, the most combat-credible force in the world." He then added to Gaetz: "The fact that you are embarrassed by your country, by your military, I'm sorry for that." Gaetz retorted, "No, I'm embarrassed by your leadership." (More Mark Milley stories.)
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