Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Orders Activation of Civil Reserve Air Fleet

Yesterday, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the commander of U.S. Transportation command to initiate stage one of it’s Civil Reserve Air Fleet. The order will assist with flying U.S. citizens, special immigrant visa applicants and other vulnerable individuals out of Afghanistan. 18 commercial flights will be activated to help with the evacuation efforts: three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Airlines and Omni Air… plus, two from Hawaiian Airlines and four from United. According to the Pentagon, the planes will ‘be used for the onward movement of passengers from temporary safe havens and interim staging bases.’ This is the third time the program has been activated since being created in 1952 with the first two times being Operations Desert Shield and Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. There are about 20,000 people who are trying to leave the country and flee to the United States.