| Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is expected to face sharp questions from a Senate panel on the U.S. military's tumultuous exit from Afghanistan and reporting that he was so fearful that President Donald Trump's actions might spark war with China that he engaged in secret phone calls with his Chinese counterpart. Also set to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee are Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command. The military leaders are expected to take heat about tactical decisions made during the rushed evacuation and be pressed on plans for future counterterrorism operations without a presence in Afghanistan. | 
