Afghanistan War Commission to Scrutinize Surge in Third Public Hearing

HEARING NOTICE:

Today, Afghanistan War Commission (AWC) co-chairs Shamila N. Chaudhary and Dr. Colin F. Jackson announced the AWC’s next public hearing, to be held on Monday, June 23, 2025, beginning at 8:30 am ET in the U.S. Senate’s Dirksen Office Building Room G50 in Washington, D.C.

The focus of the AWC’s third hearing will be key decisions surrounding the 2009-2012 surge in U.S. military and civilian personnel deployed to Afghanistan by President Barack Obama. In its two previous hearings, in July 2024 and April 2025, the Commission examined the roots of the 20-year war and early decisions made during the administration of President George W. Bush that shaped the war’s evolution. Future Commission hearings will cover negotiations with the Taliban and other developments through the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.

Expert witnesses who served in senior military, intelligence, diplomatic, and policy roles during the administration of President Obama, as well as Afghan officials who served during the administration of President Hamid Karzai, will testify in two panels during the third hearing.

The first panel, “Surge Debates and Surge Decisions,” will feature testimony from:

• Amb. Douglas Lute, Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan at the White House, 2007-2013;
• Mr. David Sedney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, 2009-2013;
• Amb. Jawed Ludin, Chief of Staff to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, 2005-2007, Ambassador to Norway, 2007-2009, and Canada, 2009-2011, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2011 (appearing remotely);
• Amb. Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2009-2011; and
• LTG Michael Nagata, USA (Ret.), Deputy Chief in the Office of the Defense Representative at U.S. Embassy Pakistan, 2009-2011.

The second panel, “Implementation of the Surge,” will feature testimony from:

• LTG Daniel Bolger, USA (Ret.), former Commander of NATO’s Training Mission in Afghanistan, 2011-2013 (appearing remotely);
• General Sher Karimi, Afghan National Army’s Chief of Operations (G3), 2003-2010, and the Chief of the General Staff, 2010-2015;
• Amb. Dawn Liberi, Coordinator for the Interagency Provincial Affairs Office at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, 2009-2011;
• Amb. Earl Anthony “Tony” Wayne, Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs, 2009-2010, and Deputy U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2010-2011; and
• BG Michael Meese, USA (Ret.), Assistant Chief of Staff for International Security Assistant Force in Kabul, 2010-2011.

The hearing is open to the public and will be broadcast live at https://youtube.com/live/KzeAQAJbX0M. Media wishing to cover the event must register by contacting matthew_gobush@awc.senate.gov.

The Afghanistan War Commission is an independent legislative commission established by Congress in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, Sec. 1094). For detailed information, including material on the Commission’s prior public hearings and 2024 interim report, visit www.afghanistanwarcommission.senate.gov.

The following 16 commissioners were appointed by Congressional leaders on a bipartisan basis: