Pentagon Orders Commercial Airlines to Assist in Afghanistan Evacuation

Pentagon Orders Commercial Airlines, to Assist in Afghanistan Evacuation.

Pentagon Orders Commercial Airlines, to Assist in Afghanistan Evacuation.

Six commercial airlines were ordered to provide 18 aircraft to assist in the evacuation of "U.S. citizens and personnel" from Afghanistan.

The Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) is a decades-old program in which commercial aircraft ... ... are utilized by the U.S. military to assist in a “major national defense emergency.”.

The program was last put into effect during both of the Iraq Wars.

CRAF activation provides the Department of Defense access to commercial air mobility resources to augment our support to the Department of State .., John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, via NBC News.

... in the evacuation of U.S. citizens and personnel, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other at-risk individuals from Afghanistan, John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, via NBC News.

The Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flights from this activation, John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, via NBC News.

The aircraft provided by major U.S. carriers will not fly directly into Kabul.

... where the evacuation crisis continues to spiral since the city was overtaken by the Taliban.

Instead, the aircraft will act as transport for those who have already been evacuated from Kabul, .

... moving them to military bases and other destinations in both Europe and the Middle East.

This will allow U.S. military aircraft to continue to conduct the evacuations out of Kabul.

President Joe Biden stated on Aug.

22 that non-U.S. citizens who are evacuated will receive "thorough security screening.".

The airline carriers involved in CRAF include America Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines