Top experts warned Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum that the standing of the U.S. as the “partner of choice” amongst global allies has waned following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst joined top officials at the Regan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Saturday and stated during a panel that U.S. credibility was “jeopardized in the last year with the hasty and haphazard withdrawal of Afghanistan.”

Experts are concerned that a global power shift could be at play if other world leaders are skeptical about the reliability of the U.S. to act as a strong partner.

The Biden administration received swift backlash at home and abroad after the Taliban swiftly took over Kabul as the U.S. concluded the 20-year war in Afghanistan over the summer.

Ernst said that during the Halifax International Security Forum last month “many of our traditional allies and partners” pulled her aside and questioned what happened in August. “They are not turning to us and seeing leadership at this moment in time,” she said. “We can’t just continue to promise to be the partner of choice.