America's longest war continues to drag on with no end in sight. More than 14 years since the invasion of Afghanistan, our highly capable men and women in uniform have gone above and beyond the call of duty. They have done enough; it's past time to bring them home.

On 15 October we saw the ramifications of Congress's blank check for endless war when President Obama announced that thousands of US troops would remain in Afghanistan through the end of his term and into 2017.

This war has already cost our nation so much: 2,350 of our brave servicemen and women have made the ultimate sacrifice, more than 20,000 have been wounded and thousands more bear invisible scars. This war has also taken the lives of thousands of Afghans and soldiers from our coalition partners and Nato allies.

Continuing this war has not made us any safer. Our protracted engagement in Afghanistan undermines our national security by sparking global resentment against the US and spurring unsustainable Pentagon spending. At present, thewar's price tag totals more than $716bn, which continues to prevent much needed investments in critical domestic priorities.