美国在阿富汗的驻军阿富汗和伊拉克代理国防部长克里斯托弗·米勒周二宣布，到1月中旬，每个国家将减少到2500人。

蛾宣布在对五角大楼记者的讲话中突出显示下一步他称之为“特朗普总统的计划，以成功和负责任的方式结束阿富汗和伊拉克战争，并将我们勇敢的军人带回家。”

他说唐纳德·特朗普总统在与他的高层协商后，做出了在两国撤军的决定国家安全这并不意味着政策的改变。

杰克·桑德斯上士

代理国防部长克里斯托弗·米勒在华盛顿五角大楼向媒体发表讲话

新的撤军延续了今年每个国家大规模撤军的趋势，美国在阿富汗的驻军人数从年初的13，000人下降到目前的4，500人。今年的伊拉克撤军是五年来的第一次，10月份将伊拉克的驻军人数从5660人减少到3000人。

米勒周二表示，他宣布执行特朗普的“命令，继续我们从这两个国家重新部署部队。”

谈到阿富汗的冲突，米勒说，“在上帝的保佑下，在未来的一年里，我们将结束这场世代战争，把我们的男人和女人带回家。”

根据美国和塔利班的和平协议，到1月中旬在阿富汗减少到2500人的决定将使美国在2021年5月之前从阿富汗撤出所有军队成为可能。

但是，全部撤军取决于阿富汗当地的安全状况以及塔利班坚持不攻击美国军队。

国家安全顾问罗伯特·奥布赖恩后来告诉白宫记者，总统竞选时“承诺停止美国无休止的战争”。

“今天，正如刚刚在五角大楼宣布的那样，特朗普总统正在履行承诺，”奥布莱恩说，他补充说，总统希望到5月份，留在伊拉克和阿富汗的军队“将全部回家”。

Leah Millis/路透社

国家安全顾问罗伯特·奥布莱恩在白宫外接受新闻媒体采访

10月中旬，奥布莱恩曾在公开讲话中暗示，美国将在1月中旬之前将在阿富汗的驻军减少到2500人。但在最高国家安全官员之间罕见的批评交流中，参谋长联席会议主席马克·米利将军将这些数字称为“猜测”，并表示五角大楼没有收到新的命令。

削减军队数量的命令在国会山遭到了两党的批评，包括参议院的共和党高层在内的许多人都认为这是“一个错误”。

参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔警告说:“我认为在阿富汗或伊拉克仓促撤军将是‘一个错误’。

这是错误的做法，”伊利诺伊州参议员谭美·达克沃斯说。一位伊拉克战争老兵说我们希望我们的部队回家，但不要把他们装在尸袋里带回家。"

北约秘书长延斯·斯托尔滕贝格说，前方有一个艰难的决定。

他说:“我们已经在阿富汗呆了将近20年了，没有一个北约盟国愿意在阿富汗多呆一段时间。”。“但与此同时，过早离开或以不协调的方式离开的代价可能非常高。”

释放美国人质马克·弗里茨的努力也受到质疑。

“我们希望看到美国军队回家，但我哥哥是一名海军老兵，自1月31日以来，我们一直在与之谈判的塔利班一直拥有他，”弗里德里希的妹妹夏琳·卡科拉(Charlene Cakora)说。“我们祈祷特朗普总统不会抛弃他。”

美国军方领导人此前曾公开表示，塔利班在大幅增加对阿富汗安全部队的袭击的同时，不袭击美国军队是不够的。

基于这些条件，他们表示将谨慎建议进一步缩编。

但对这些条件的定义似乎已经改变，调整了高级军事领导人评估当地局势的视角。

据一名高级国防官员称，衡量撤军的条件现在是基于阿富汗驻军减少到2500人是否会威胁到国家安全。

“我们不认为是这样，”这位官员表示。

另一个条件是，“我们能否在阿富汗保持兵力态势，使我们能够与我们的盟友和伙伴一起执行任务。”

Pentagon announces troop reductions in Afghanistan and Iraq

The U.S. troop presence inAfghanistanandIraqwill be reduced to 2,500 in each country by mid-January, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced on Tuesday.

Millermade the announcementin remarks to Pentagon reporters thathighlighted the next stepin what he called "President Trump's plan to bring the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to a successful and responsible conclusion and to bring our brave service members home."

He said thatPresident Donald Trumpmade the decision to draw down troops in both countries in consultation with his topnational securityofficials and that it did not amount to a change in policy.

The new drawdowns continue this year's trend of significant troop reductions in each country as American troop levels in Afghanistan dropped from 13,000 at the start of the year to the current level of 4,500. This year's troop reduction in Iraq, the first in five years, lowered the troop count in Iraq from 5,660 to 3,000 in October.

Miller said Tuesday that he was announcing the implementation of Trump's "orders to continue our repositioning of forces from those two countries."

Speaking of the conflict in Afghanistan, Miller said that "with the blessings of providence in the coming year, we will finish this generational war and bring our men and women home."

The decision to go down to 2,500 troops by mid-January in Afghanistan will make feasible the pullout of all American troops in Afghanistan by May 2021, as outlined in the U.S.-Taliban peace deal.

But that full withdrawal depended on security conditions on the ground in Afghanistan and the Taliban's adherence to not attack U.S. forces.

Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser, later told White House reporters that the president campaigned "on a promise to put a stop to America's endless wars."

"Today, as just announced at the Pentagon, President Trump is keeping that promise," said O'Brien who added that the president hoped that by May the remaining troops in Iraq and Afghanistan "will all come home."

In mid-October O'Brien had hinted in public remarks that a U.S. troop reduction to 2,500 in Afghanistan would take place by mid-January. But in a rare exchange of criticism among top national security officials, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff labeled the numbers "speculation" and said no new orders had been received at the Pentagon.

The orders to bring down the number of troops was met with bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill, many of whom labeled it "a mistake"including the top Republican in the Senate.

"I think a precipitous drawdown in either Afghanistan or Iraq would be "a mistake," warned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

'This is the wrong thing to do," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Iraq combat veteran, said. "We want our troops home, but let's not bring them home in body bags."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there's a difficult decision ahead.

"We have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, and no NATO ally wants to stay any longer than necessary," he said. "But at the same time, the price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high."

Ongoing efforts to free American hostage Mark Frerichs are also in doubt.

“We want to see U.S. troops come home, but my brother is a Navy veteran and the same Taliban we have been negotiating with have had him since Jan. 31," said Frerichs' sister, Charlene Cakora. "We are praying President Trump will not leave him behind.”

U.S. military leaders had previously said publicly that it was not enough for the Taliban to not attack American forces while significantly increasing attacks against Afghan security forces.

Based on those conditions they said they would be cautious in recommending a further drawdown.

But it appears the definition of what those conditions are have been changed, adjusting the lens through which senior military leaders assessed the situation on the ground.

According to a senior defense official the conditions used to measure the drawdown are now based on whether national security would be threatened by a reduction in Afghanistan to 2,500 troops.

"We do not feel that it is," said the official.

The other condition was, "can we maintain a force posture in Afghanistan that permits us to carry out our mission with our allies and partners."