Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/82

82 And what was your response to that—the policy mission set, in the last few months it appears, to wind down a war? Based upon your experience and expertise, is that feasible?

In my opinion, in some of the theaters, it was feasible. In some of the other theaters, depending on intelligence on the ground, it was a longer extenuated process. And I'd have to remind you guys that the Afghan, for example, was a process that had been ongoing with the diplomatic relations with Secretary Pompeo and Ambassador Khalilzad meeting in Doha regularly with the teams in Afghanistan. So that had been an ongoing process for some time.

We were in tune, at the CT Directorate, to the national security mission sets that were in country and around country in the manning and equipment. So, generally speaking, what I did was, from a national security perspective, was obtained my policy and operational directives from the chain of command, and I implemented all of them that were lawful and appropriate.

Mr. Glabe. Just for the record, we'd like to submit what's been marked as exhibit 5, K. Patel Exhibit 5-1. It's an op-ed in the New York Post, entitled "I Ran Team Trumps Afghan Withdrawal: Biden's Attempt to Blame Us Is Just Sad," that speaks to some of the things that Mr. Patel was involved in at DOD related to Afghanistan policy and its continuity with the ongoing peace process as he just described.

Mr. Patel. Thanks.


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Did you discuss what your role would be in terms of the transition to the Biden-Harris team?

With who?

The President.