ARLINGTON, Va. — Sources close to Gen. Mark Milley say the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is privately expressing regret over his military’s lack of preparedness for executing the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In particular, Milley is lamenting not including any Vietnam War history books on his professional reading list that may have prepared him and his senior leaders for the complexities of disengaging from two decades of war.

“I try to keep up with all of the recommended readings of our top military officers,” said one senior Pentagon official. “but I’m not sure how Modern Quilt Bible: Over 100 techniques and design ideas for the modern quilter helped to prepare me for the challenges of shaping our nation’s geopolitical strategy.”

Following the debacle of a sloppy and ill-prepared withdrawal that saw the Taliban rapidly closing in on U.S. military and diplomatic personnel frantically trying to escape as their propped-up government collapsed around them, criticism has grown over the reading list of the military’s highest-ranking officer.