The United States no longer has a strong military presence in Afghanistan, where prisons have been emptied and thousands of militants have been set free by the Taliban. American defense officials are now concerned with the capabilities the US can bring to any counterterrorism campaign in the region.
Al Qaeda along with ISIS and other jihadist groups will no doubt experience a resurgence in the wake of America’s transience. Without a troop presence, CIA and other spy agencies now lack protection and are being forced to withdraw personnel. And the Biden Administration has been thus far unable to make agreements with other countries in the region to host American military forces.
So instead, the US military is now basing operations out of bases in the Gulf and the Middle East, and from wherever the nearest aircraft carrier is located at the time. The cost of flying aircraft, be it fighter jets or drones, from these distant bases will in all likelihood cost considerably more than it did to maintain the status quo of 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
This new reality for the Pentagon has many officials concerned that the US may no longer be able to detect an attack in advance, nor able to reach the acquired target in time, and all at a higher premium than just a few months ago.