Austin Asks Top General For ‘Options’ to Evacuate Afghans – By Tara Copp and Jacqueline Feldscher (Defense One) / June 2 2021
Operation would need authorization from White House, which is not yet “actively pursuing” the idea.
With time running out, the Pentagon is still developing plans to evacuate Afghans whose lives would be in danger from the Taliban after U.S. forces depart—but there’s still no order from the White House to move anyone, yet.
To prepare, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has tasked the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, to develop options for those Afghans that includes the possibility of evacuating them, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday.
“The secretary did task Gen. McKenzie to come up with options potentially for the transportation out of Afghanistan of civilians that might need it, at various levels and under various circumstances,” Kirby said in a phone interview with Defense One.
However, the White House has not directed the Pentagon to execute those plans yet.
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