Outgoing chief of defence staff faces final defence committee evidence session

On Tuesday 9 November, at 14.30, the Defence Committee will hold its final evidence session with General Sir Nick Carter, who is due to leave his role as the Chief of Defence Staff at the end of this month. The session will be an opportunity to discuss and reflect upon General Sir Nick Carter’s tenure as Head of the Armed Forces.

The session is likely to cover his views on the Afghanistan, including the withdrawal of coalition troops, intelligence, the evacuation and the future of the country. The treatment of women in the military, as well as the treatment of veterans, will likely also be covered. The Committee will likely discuss his views on the impact of the Integrated Review and the Defence Command papers published earlier this year.

Carter expressed sincere misgivings about the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan earlier this year.

He told the BBC in April that the Biden administration’s US withdrawal deadline of August 31st “not a decision we hoped for.”