For Next U.S. Commander In Afghanistan, 'This Is About Protecting U.S. Citizens'

Just as darkness fell, Capt. Austin S. "Scott" Miller was hunkered down in a building in Mogadishu, Somalia, together with his soldiers from the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force.

It was Oct. 3, 1993, and a Black Hawk helicopter had just been downed by local militants in the battle of Mogadishu, what would become the core of the book and movie Black Hawk Down. Miller was awarded a Bronze Star with a valor device for the nearly day-long battle that left 18 Americans dead and 73 wounded — including Miller.

"What you have to figure out is how to work your way through it," Miller told a reunion of those soldiers three years ago, according to the Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer. "I will tell you, I never thought we would get overrun. I know there were some people there who thought we were close to getting overrun. I never thought that, not with birds coming into the zone putting rockets in 10 or 15 feet away from us."

Now, Miller is getting ready to work his way through something else: the war in Afghanistan. The three-star lieutenant general is expected to be approved by the Senate for another star and take over from Gen. John "Mick" W. Nicholson Jr. as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Miller, a 57-year-old West Point graduate, has spent much of his career with Special Operators, working in the shadows on battlefields that include Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently, he was commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, which includes Delta Force and SEAL Team 6.

But not all of his career has been in the shadows. Some of it has been in the spotlight.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday for his confirmation hearing, Miller said he couldn't guarantee a timeline for removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, nearly 17 years after the U.S. invasion to overthrow the Taliban.

He said the two-pronged U.S. mission continues: training Afghan troops and going after terrorist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State together with Afghan commandos. Like the eight generals who have preceded him, Miller said the U.S. must prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a haven for terrorists who could mount attacks against the United States. - Read More

For Next U.S. Commander In Afghanistan, 'This Is About Protecting U.S. Citizens'