8月に, ラトクリフは、アフガニスタン撤退からのフォールアウトを次のように言及しました “8月のクリスマス” アメリカの敵のために. ほぼ1年後, 彼の意見は変わっていませんでした.
“It did not take Nostradamus to think that our adversaries would watch not just a withdrawal but a surrender and a defeat in Afghanistan that was shocking to all. Our adversaries watching that really saw that this was a different administration,” Ratcliffe said.