A group of 10 retired top U.S. military officials endorsed U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in a letter made public on Monday, saying she is the only presidential candidate fit to serve as the nation's commander in chief and calling her Republican rival Donald Trump "a danger to our national security and democracy."

The letter, signed by Retired Gen. Larry Ellis and Retired Rear Adm. Michael Smith, among others, cited Trump's comments disparaging members of the military and his own "chaotic approach" to Afghanistan ahead of the U.S. withdrawal, including negotiating a deal with the Taliban that allowed 5,000 of the group's fighters to return to the battlefield.

In contrast, they wrote, Harris "has demonstrated her ability to take on the most difficult national security challenges in the Situation Room and on the international stage," from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific.