Sept. 2, 2021
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby; Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, Commander, U.S. European Command
PRESS SECRETARY JOHN F. KIRBY: Okay, good afternoon, everybody.
Today I am very pleased to be joined by General Tod Wolters,
commander of U.S. European Command and NATO SHAPE. I think you all know
General Wolters, he's here to give us an update on the support that
European Command continues to give to many thousands of Afghan evacuees.
So I'm going to turn it over to the general. He'll have some opening
comments, and then just like before I'll moderate the Q&A. Please
when I call on you, identify yourself and your outlet. And if you
could, limit your follow-ups to a minimum. That would allow more people
to get questions in.
And after we're done with the general I'll stay behind if there's any additional questions that we need to answer today.
With that, General, sir, over to you.
MR. KIRBY: Got you now, sir. Thank you so much for hanging with us. I hate to ask you if you could start on over again.
GEN. WOLTERS: Yeah, you bet, John.
And good afternoon to you. And again, if you didn't catch it, welcome to all the members of the Pentagon press corps.
On behalf of all the members of USEUCOM, I want to extend our deepest
sympathy to the families of the 13 heroes who gave their lives to save
so many Americans and so many Afghans.
But we also extend our thoughts and prayers to all those wounded and
to all the family members who were involved and still remain attached to
those who paid the ultimate price in Afghanistan over the course of the
last two decades. You'll always be remembered and you'll always be in
our thoughts and prayers.
Let me begin by offering a professional thanks to the militaries and
the governments of Germany, Italy and Spain. Their comprehensive
efforts over the course of the last several weeks has allowed us to
facilitate great operations and achieve a high degree of success, and we
deeply appreciate what they've done from the governmental level all the
way down to the military level.
Now let me slow down for a second and also take this opportunity to
thank a group of people that we don't often talk about and that's the
volunteers.
It's an interesting story here in Europe. The operation first
commenced on Friday the 20th of August, and our wing commander at
Ramstein noted that we had a lot of volunteers on that day doing a lot
of great work. And we actually had 20 or 30 volunteers and we were all
very, very pleased to note that we had 30 volunteers.
Well, several days later, the 30 volunteers grew to hundreds of
volunteers, and today as we scan across Europe we have thousands of
volunteers who are doing everything from helping with food items,
helping with clothing, serving as counselors, helping to organize,
serving and assisting with security. They are tremendous force
multipliers for us. And they are helping to facilitate good order and
discipline in the environment day in and day out.
Since Friday, the 20th of August, when the operation started, we at
EUCOM have processed 155 inbound flights, and we've taken care of 38,000
Afghan evacuees. On the ground, at this very moment, we have 12,000
Afghan evacuees at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, 5,000 evacuees at Rhine
Ordnance Barracks in Germany, 2,500 evacuees at Naval Air Station
Sigonella in Italy, and 1,800 Afghan evacuees at Nav Station Rota in
Spain.
Since Friday, the 20th of August, when the operation started, we've
been able to process and have 16,000 Afghan evacuees depart from Europe
to the continental United States. 14,500 of those came from Ramstein
Air Base, 1,500 came from Sigonella, and approximately 500 came from
Rota Air Base in Spain.
And the reason that I mentioned this evacuation is because it's
intense, and we anticipate more intensity in the future, and the mission
must go on. Aside from the evacuee operation that we're currently
working in EUCOM, we bear the responsibility to provide secure
sovereignty for our European nations as well as to support NATO.
We've been able to continue all of those operations via our
operations, activities and investments. And today, the region remains
secure, and conditions are normal on the ground. The entire time, we
bear the responsibility to ensure that we continue to promote the safety
and security for all involved, whether it's the evacuees, our fellow
volunteers across Europe, or all the great warriors that serve in
USEUCOM.
John, I'll wrap up with a final thanks to some critical mission partners.
First, the United States interagency, all of our European allies and
partners, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Northern Command and U.S.
Central Command. Their support to U.S. European Command has been
remarkable. But today, we're excited about the fact because all those
agencies work together to facilitate the flow of travelers and Afghans
from Europe to freedom.
John, I'll stop right there. And I look forward to taking your questions.
MR. KIRBY: Thank you, General. I appreciate that.
We're going to start with the Lita Baldor from AP. Lita, I think you're on the phones, yeah?
Q: Yes. Thanks, John.
Thank you, General.
I have a question about the screening of evacuees as they come in.
And I realize the military isn't doing a lot of that, but can you give
us a better picture of what is happening to people who may be failing
the screening or problems with screening? Are the countries, the allies
that you're dealing with, are they expressing some concerns about what
is going to happen to those people? Where -- what will the U.S. do with
them?
And can you tell us also on if there have been any COVID problems with -- with those evacuees as they are being processed?
Thank you.
GEN. WOLTERS: Lita, I'll kind of go in reverse order.
Number one, we're pleasantly surprised at the very, very few COVID
situations that we've had abroad in Europe. Our policy is to allow the
field commanders in place to govern the administration of COVID testing
and COVID vaccination based off conditions on the ground.
And as you well know, at this time, the game plan is for all of our
evacuees and travelers to ultimately get to the United States, get to
military installations, and then at that point they would receive the
appropriate testing and the appropriate vaccination.
With respect to allied concerns on folks that we are screening, so
far we've had tremendous cooperation in this area. We've informed the
nations of Germany, Italy and Spain when we have individuals who are
coming up close to the 10-day time limit, and we've received 100 percent
cooperation from the nations in this area.
And Lita, with respect to screening, it's come a long way in the last
10 days. What we do is in-process our evacuees, and during the course
of the in-processing, we conduct combined biometric and biographic
screening so that through DOD channels, through CBP channels, and
through FBI channels, we have comprehensively scrutinized their
background. And this process takes place at the initial screening when
the evacuees come to our intermediate bases. And we want to make sure
that we conduct the screening, get the results, and ensure that we've
got results on the individual before we put these individuals into their
sleeping quarters.
And then, as they remain on station, at some point, there'll be
notified that it's time to depart. And as the individuals depart,
there'll be screened one more time to make sure that from a biometric
and biographical standpoint, cleared through DOD, CBP and FBI, that they
continue to remain in the green.
I will tell you, we've also been pleasantly surprised with a number
of individuals that are in need of further processing/more screening.
And the way the process works at Ramstein, the way it works at
Sigonella, and the way it currently works at Rota, is during that
initial in-screening process, if an individual pops red, we calmly take
them out of the normal processing line, and we put them in a different
location so that we can have some isolation and have a little bit of
extra time to make sure that everybody is as safe and secure as
possible.
Lita, that's a big hand over a little map description. It's a lot
more complicated than that. We've refined this process over the course
of the last 10 days, as you can well imagine.
If we wind up in situations to where we are backed up with evacuees
at certain locations, if the screening process is too exorbitant and too
slow, we can wind up having some serious problems. When we initially
started operations here in Europe, our average wait time in the
in-processing line put us in a position to where we get in process about
60 folks per hour. Today we possess the capability to process 250 folks
per hour, and that has a lot to do with the improvement in the software
with respect to our biometric machines communicating with our
biographical machines.
Lita, I hope this helps.
Q: But, General, can I just quickly follow up?
So I understand, when you say 250 folks per hour and 60 per hour, is
that because you have more locations? Are you talking about at one
particular location?
And that's all I have. Thanks.
GEN. WOLTERS: That's an average of the three current locations that
we're working with here in Europe, at Ramstein in Germany, at Rota Nav
Station in Spain, and at Sigonella in Italy.
Q: Hey, General Wolters, it's Courtney Kube from NBC News. I have a couple of follow-ups on all of that.
So, what happens that when individuals pop red, as you said, and are
sent for further screening, have you had any who have not been
ultimately cleared and what happens in that case?
And then I just want to be clear when you were talking about the
COVID situation, you're not actually doing any testing for COVID of the
evacuees, correct? They don't get tested until they come to the U.S.
And --if you are, can you tell us how that's happening? Is it only
people who present symptoms or self-identify as having symptoms?
GEN. WOLTERS: Courtney, the process is as you just described.
Ultimately, the plan is to test these individuals once they get to CONUS
to their final military installation. But due to situations on the
ground, and if we have situations where we see symptoms and the
commander on site needs to have that person tested, we reserve the right
to allow that commander to do so, so that he can preserve the health
and well-being of the entire population in their community. They’ve got
small resources to be able to do that. It hasn't been executed often.
I can tell you in the last three days, it hasn't been executed once.
So that -- that takes care of the COVID side of the house.
And Courtney, you talked a little bit about screening. Can you kind of clarify for me exactly what it is you're looking at?
Q: Sure, so when an individual pops red, you said they're isolated
for further testing, or further screening, I guess. Have you had anyone
who's not ultimately been cleared and brought back into the regular
population, or -- in other words, are you holding any individuals
because they've popped red and not been cleared?
GEN. WOLTERS: Courtney, at this time it's a rolling number. I've
got 58 individuals that are in need of further processing, and based on
when they entered the queue, I anticipate that all 58 will probably
clear. I will tell you that we've had one individual since the
operation started in Europe on the 20th of September who actually popped
red, and that individual is currently in the appropriate custody of
U.S. interagency officials, and Germany has been very, very cooperative,
and we are still working his background investigation.
MR. KIRBY: Jen?
Q: General Wolters, Jennifer Griffin with Fox News. Can you give us
any more details about that individual and what kind of security threat
he posed? Was he a member of ISIS-K, Taliban? And just so I
understand what you told Courtney, there's no COVID testing being done
of these individuals before they get to CONUS. Why?
GEN. WOLTERS: First, Jennifer, the individual that's currently in
custody is not of a high threat as far as I know. The rest of that
information is protected, and that's with agencies here that -- are
representative of that individual.
With respect to testing, based off the requirement and the timelines
of the nations allowing us to use their soil for 10 days, it can become
an administrative challenge with respect to moving people. As I said,
Jennifer, commanders on the ground have the right to conduct testing and
administer vaccination if conditions on the ground warrant, and that's a
commander's call that they're equipped to make, and they've got the
resources to be able to support that. But for the purpose of
facilitating the flow of our evacuees to their final destination in
CONUS, in order to comply with the restrictions of the nations, this is a
current policy that we have in place.
MR. KIRBY: Go to the phone lines: Jeff Schogol?
Q: Thank you.
General, you had mentioned that you expected the mission to grow more intense. Can you elaborate on that?
GEN. WOLTERS: I can, Jeff.
We're -- we're at a point right now where we're processing in about
the same number that we're processing out. And it's not comfortable for
our troopers in the field, it's challenging that there is the potential
that we would be in a position in Europe, as a result of our existing
capacity, to continue to facilitate the flow of evacuees out of the
Middle East to ultimately get to the United States.
So in order to make sure that our troops are as ready as they can
possibly be, we are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
And so that intensity level has to remain very, very high with respect
to our readiness to be prepared to process folks.
I think what I've seen in the last six hours tells me that we're
about to become in a position to where we're going to process about 500
or 600 in every day and we're probably going to have 2,500 to 3,000 to
depart every day. And if that continues in perpetuity for the remaining
time we'll be in good shape.
But the next 24-hours will be very, very telling, and I want to make
sure that our troopers are prepared for the most intense situations
possible. Jeff, that's why the narrative surrounds that conversation.
Q: Thank you.
And are any of the Afghan refugees being housed at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo?
GEN. WOLTERS: None of our U.S. Afghan evacuees are at Camp
Bondsteel. We are just on the edge with respect to NATO capability to
putting some NATO Afghan evacuees into Camp Bechtel, which is very close
to Camp Bondsteel, but we haven't started that yet.
MR. KIRBY: Sylvie?
Q: Sylvie Lanteaume from AFP.
The Europeans were a bit frustrated by the way the evacuation went in
Kabul. They were not able to evacuate as many of their citizens as
they wanted. And today there was a meeting -- defense minister -- a
meeting of the defense ministers of European Union and they talked about
creating a rapid European rapid reaction force.
Do you think -- as SACEUR, do you think it would be a good idea?
GEN. WOLTERS: Well, first, I can't speak for the European Union. I certainly can speak as SACEUR for NATO.
I've had reports from many nations, and the reports that have come to
me through military channels and minister of defense channels have all
actually been in the positive.
And I would tell you that NATO and the E.U. are always attempting to
do all that they can to make sure that we can facilitate peace on our
soil. And I can't speak for the efforts that you're quoting with
respect to the European Union, but I would say anything that we can do
to promote peace and security on the European continent is a plus.
MR. KIRBY: Meghann?
Q: Hi, General Wolters. It's Meghann Myers from Military Times.
You mentioned that the European countries have given you a 10-day
deadline to get these evacuees moved through. So which screenings or
processes are they doing in Europe? And what do they have to finish up
when they get to the U.S.? Is it more screening or is it just
resettlement? What processes need to be finished?
GEN. WOLTERS: Meghann, our evacuees receive biometric and
biographical screening. They actually get screened twice. Once when
they come in to our intermediate staging bases, once they've been
initially screened then they're put in their sleeping quarters. And
once it's time to depart, they're screened one more time to make sure
that we've cleared as many wickets as possible.
And once they get to the United States, I believe they go through a
similar process with the same machines to make sure that they continue
to clear DOD, CBP and FBI.
Q: A health screening; is there anything like that that's going on
in Europe, that final step in the process is still going on stateside?
GEN. WOLTERS: A thorough health screening will occur stateside, but
we're in a position with our medical resources to get a broad-brush scan
from a medical perspective and to take temperatures and to make sure
that we're treating folks that need immediate medical help. And in many
cases it happens to be expectant mothers.
MR. KIRBY: Tara?
Q: Hi, General. It's Tara Copp with Defense One.
You talked about in-processing everyone. We learned yesterday that
many of the SIV applicants that have tried to get out of Afghanistan
didn't get through. So could you give us a picture of who actually did
get through? If they weren't SIVs, who are they? Are they P1s, P2s?
Are they Afghans? Could you talk a little bit about what you've seen in
the processing?
GEN. WOLTERS: Tara, I will tell you that I don't have the facts that
you are quoting with respect to the statistics, but between what came
out of HKIA to the Middle East and here, I can tell you that of the
number of folks that I've told you that we've processed, we're in a
position to where we have 792 AMCITs, we have 996 legal permanent
residents. But aside from those qualifiers with respect to the
individuals, that information is probably kept in DoS channels and you
probably need to direct your question to that agency.
MR. KIRBY: Okay, back to the phones, Jared?
Q: Hi, sir. I think all of my questions have been answered. Thank you.
Q: Yes, it's Brian Everstine of Aviation Week.
You had mentioned at the top you had 155 inbound flights. How many
outbound flights have you had? And with the Kabul airlift ending, are
you getting more gray tail capacity? It's your AOR to help with the
outbound, if so, do you anticipate needing CRAF assets for an extended
of time?
GEN. WOLTERS: Brian, right now we don't have a need for Civil
Reserve Air Fleet participation just because we're probably reaching a
point where it's not required. We've had 155 inbound flights and I
don't have the precise number of outbound flights but I would suspect
that it's fairly close to that. So as long as the flow continues as
expected, for the next 12 hours we're bracing for high intensity, but
after that we should be in a position from a gray tail perspective to
where the United States Air Force on the C-17 side of the house can
adequately support the flow into Europe and the flow out of Europe.
MR. KIRBY: Okay. Time for one more and then we'll let the general wrap it up.
Go ahead, Tony.
Q: Thanks. Tony Capaccio with Bloomberg News.
On the biometric screening, can you give a sense of what databases
are being tapped when someone gets a biometric screen? And will that
information translate over to the United States or their eventual
residence to help them get identification when they land here or their
home, or where they end up?
GEN. WOLTERS: Okay, Tony, the biometric side of the screening I
believe taps the DOD base and the biographic side of the screening that
gets into fingerprinting and a retinal scan gets into the CBP and FBI. I
can tell you that on my limited computer experience that those
databases have the capability to talk to one another so you could flip
crosscourt from DOD to CBP and FBI. And we can take this electronic
database and flip it to CONUS.
So with respect to the question that you asked, my simple answer is
there is compatibility in those systems, to the agencies that I've just
identified. And there is compatibility with those capabilities from the
European continent to the continental United States.
Q: Thanks.
MR. KIRBY: General, I'm going to -- thank you so much for your
time. I apologize for the technical difficulties early, but I'd like to
turn it back over to you for any closing comments you might have, sir.
GEN. WOLTERS: Well, John, first thanks to you for doing what you are doing.
And I just wanted to foot stomp one more time the tremendous
patriotism that we see from our volunteers. They're DOD dependents,
they are local nationals from Germany, from Spain and from Italy, and
they're excited when they see these Afghans. And when they look in
their eyes, they see folks with hope and inspiration, and that actually
gives them inspiration. And I want to thank our nation for doing what
it's doing in treating all of these Afghan evacuees with dignity and
respect.
MR. KIRBY: Thank you very much, General. Appreciate your time this afternoon and this evening.
Okay, I've got a few things to go through with you and then we can take some additional questions.
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, the department is working closely with
FEMA and local, state and federal partners in supporting the states and
areas impacted.
Currently there are roughly 5,800 National Guard soldiers and airmen
from Louisiana and 10 other states responding to the aftermath of the
Hurricane in Louisiana.
In Pennsylvania, roughly 150 Guard personnel have been activated,
along with high water vehicles and helicopters, to support areas that
are affected by the flooding.
As of this morning, more than 650 active duty personnel are
supporting hurricane response operations in and around Louisiana. The
mission sets include route clearance, debris removal, high-water rescue
and transport.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has deployed survey boats in
southeast Louisiana, in coordination with the Coast Guard, to help open
navigation lanes in the region. And the Corps is also providing
technical engineering assistance to state and local authorities for
flood response and risk management.
Now in Haiti, the department continues supporting USAID, working with
international partners and allies to provide lifesaving aid and
assistance to the people of Haiti in response to the recent earthquake
there. U.S. Southern Command and Joint Task Force Haiti have been
working around the clock to help save lives, deliver aid, all since the
14th of August when the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck.
As of early this morning, the joint task force team has conducted
more than 660 missions, delivered more than 573,000 pounds of aid, and
saved or assisted more than 477 people.
We'll continue working with this humanitarian operation until USAID,
working with Haitian officials, determines that the department's unique
airlift, maritime, transport and logistics capabilities are no longer
necessary, as commercial operations to transport supplies by air, land
and sea increase on their own.
Search and rescue -- on the new topic of the Navy and the helicopter
crash that they had yesterday, search and rescue efforts continue for
the five missing crew members of the MH-60S helicopter that crashed into
the sea yesterday while conducting flight operations from the USS
Abraham Lincoln. The aircraft from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 was
operating on deck before the incident.
The sailor who was rescued from the aircraft was transported ashore
and is in stable condition. The five additional sailors aboard Abraham
Lincoln who suffered injuries are also in stable condition.
Two of the five Abraham Lincoln sailors were transported to shore for
treatment, while three of the five Abraham Lincoln sailors had minimal
injuries and remain aboard the ship. An investigation into the cause of
this incident is underway.
And now onto the boards. Back in January of this year, the secretary
directed a zero-base review of all DoD advisory committees to include
any committees not subject to the federal advisory committee act, to
ensure that committee efforts are focused on our most pressing strategic
priorities and the National Defense Strategy.
The ZBR Board has completed its work, presented their
recommendations, and the Department is poised for many of the advisory
committees to resume their essential work. The Department’s boards and
committees have been and will continue to be a valuable resource as we
defend the nation, succeed through teamwork and take care of our people.
The Secretary looks forward to working with many of these bodies
personally and expects other Department officials to do the same.
After careful consideration of the recommendations resulting from the
ZBR, the Secretary has approved the following advisory committees for
resumption of operations.
The recommendations for other boards are still under consideration,
and we will announce the results for more advisory committees in coming
weeks.
Defense Business Board
Defense Policy Board
Defense Health Board
DoD Board of Actuaries
Medicare-Eligible Board of Advisors
Defense Science Board
Defense Advisory Committee on Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces
Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel
Inland Waterways Users Board
DoD Wage Committee
Board on Coastal Engineering Research
Marine Corps University Board of Visitors
Department of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board
U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisory Group
Army Science Board
And, finally --
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
As these boards get populated, we will again be transparent with you as members are brought back into the board work.
September is Suicide Prevention Month. The health, safety, and
well-being of our military community is essential to the readiness of
the Total Force.
The Department is committed to preventing suicide among Service
members, veterans, and their families. We want to remind everyone that
support is within reach and emphasize the valuable resources available
year-round, such as with Military OneSource and the Veterans and
Military Crisis Line.
This year, the DoD's Suicide Prevention Month theme is, Connect to
Protect: Support is Within Reach. This highlights the vital role that
connections to family, friends, the community, and resources can play in
preventing suicide.
Our connections to family, friends, community, and organizations across the department are more important than ever.
And as you’ve heard the secretary say, mental health is health period, and that’s the way he wants everyone to look at it here.
Lastly, on a schedule note, tomorrow the Secretary looks forward to
hosting the Italian Minister of the Defense Guerini here at the
Pentagon. A readout of the meeting will be posted tomorrow afternoon.
With that, I’ll take your questions. Lita, did you have one for me?
Q. No, I’ll pass on that and let someone who did not get a question in earlier go.
MR KIRBY: Tara?
Q. John, you mentioned that the MH60 was operating on deck, so we
(inaudible) understand that there was a collision or mishap on deck and
the helicopter fell off the side?
MR KIRBY: I don’t know what caused the helicopter to go into the
water. But our understanding is that it was on deck when the casualty
occurred, whatever that is, and I don’t know, but the Navy is going to
investigate that. But, it was on deck and fell from the deck into the
water.
Q. And, secondly, yesterday when we had the secretary and the
chairman up here, they both mentioned the internal pain that they’ve
felt associated with this, is there going to be additional outreach to
veterans or service members who served
in Afghanistan? Because there seems to be somewhat of a trigger for
people who are maybe having suicidal ideations or been depressed just
because of the way it all fell out.
MR. KIRBY: One of the reasons I wanted to make sure in my opening
statements to talk about Suicide Prevention Month -- it's September, of
course obviously. But we want to make clear that there are resources
available and I think you'll hear more from department leadership
communicating that across the force. And I know that -- I don't want to
speak for the V.A., but I know that Secretary McDonough feels very
strongly about this as well.
We all recognize that the events in just the recent past, certainly
the last month or so, will factor in and potentially bear heavily on
some of our veterans -- Afghan war vets. And as you heard the secretary
say yesterday, I mean, everyone's different and we need to respect the
fact that everyone will process this in their own way and over a course
of time of their choosing.
But it's important -- and again I tried to hit this at the top --
that -- however you end up processing this, that you know it's okay to
reach out for help -- whether that's professional help or just friends,
family, colleagues -- that it's important that we respect each other and
try to stay in touch with one another going forward.
But I do think you'll continue to hear throughout this month
additional messages from department leadership about that issue, but
also just writ large how that ties into mental health in particular.
Yes, sir.
Q: Thanks, John. Travis Tritten with Military.com.
I had a COVID question. The House is considering some legislation
right now that would prohibit dishonorable discharge for any troop who
declines a COVID vaccine. I'm not going to ask you to comment on the
legislation, but I want to ask you about the punishment. Is
dishonorable discharge going to be the outcome for troops who have
refused the vaccine?
MR. KIRBY: Travis, as we've talked about before, the secretary
expects that the department leadership will implement these mandatory
vaccines with skill, but also -- because we know who to do this across a
range of other vaccines -- but also professionalism and compassion.
And when an individual declines to take a mandatory vaccine, they will
be given an opportunity to talk to both medical providers as well as
their own chain of command so that they can fully understand the
decision that they are making.
And the other thing I'd say is that our commanders have a range of
tools available to them short of using the Uniform Code of Military
Justice to again try to get men and women in the department to make the
right decision here.
Q: So if those other tools do fail, though, and it does go to UCMJ,
can you speak at all what the outcome is? Are there a range of
potential outcomes or are we looking at dishonorable discharge?
MR. KIRBY: There are -- I mean, if it goes to a disciplinary
procedure, there are, again, a range of options available to commanders
short of charges being filed and punishment of any given kind.
And this would be something that commanders would handle themselves,
Travis. It's not something -- it wouldn't be some top-down driven set
policy for every case across the whole department. This would be
something that commanders would be able to decide for themselves.
But I want to stress -- and I don't think it's helpful to get into
hypotheticals right now when we're still just at the beginning of this,
but I also want to stress that the secretary's expectation is that
commanders will lead with compassion here and will try to make available
to members who are not willing to abide by the mandatory vaccine, to
make sure that they understand the ramifications of their decision and
that they have as much additional exposure to information and context as
possible as they -- as they move forward.
Jen?
Q: Has anybody from the Pentagon or CENTCOM had any contact with the
Taliban in the last -- since the last troops have left to begin making
arrangements to either coordinate or work together?
MR. KIRBY: None that I'm aware of, Jen.
Yes, (inaudible)?
Q: Thank you, John.
About the Taliban and(inaudible) Group. (inaudible) It look like
they start another civil war. Is Pentagon able to direct support the
(inaudible) the Taliban, because people are very worried about the civil
war?
And the next question, 10 civilian people have been killed by the
U.S. operation -- military operation. Any more information or an update
to an investigation?
MR. KIRBY: The U.S. military mission in Afghanistan is over.
And as for your second question, I would refer you to CENTCOM. I
know that Central Command continues to assess the results of that
airstrike and I wouldn't get ahead of their assessment of it.
I would only say two things, and I said it before, no other military
works harder than we do to prevent civilian casualties. We certainly
never want to see innocent life taken as a result of U.S. military
operations.
And as you heard the chairman say, I think very clearly yesterday,
that this strike was based on good intelligence, and we still believe
that it prevented an imminent threat to the airport and to our men and
women that were still serving at the airport.
Q: Can I ask a follow-up?
MR. KIRBY: Yes, sure.
Q: So you're saying that the military mission is over. That means
that the U.S. is not going to support the Northern Alliance, this
resistance group, with any kind of airstrikes against the Taliban fight?
MR. KIRBY: The U.S. military mission in Afghanistan is over.
Q: But -- so just to be clear, because you will still take strikes
against ISIS and Al Qaida in the CT, right? So I mean from that
perspective there is a military mission in Afghanistan, right?
MR. KIRBY: Courtney, what we will do is continue to be able to
conduct over-the-horizon counterterrorism strikes as needed for threats
to our interests and to the homeland. And we're absolutely going to do
that.
But that's a different thing than saying that we have a military -- an enduring military mission in Afghanistan.
Q: So there will not -- there is not going to be any effort to support the -- any kind of --
(CROSSTALK)
MR. KIRBY: We will continue to defend our interests against
legitimate terrorist threats anywhere in the world. And you heard the
secretary say that there's not a scrap of earth that we can't hit.
Meghann?
Q: Navy and Marine Corps have released their COVID vaccine plans and
they give a 90-day deadline to get vaccinated. It's my understanding
that the Army and Air Force plans do not include a deadline. Is that up
to the secretary's expectations for a rollout plan?
MR. KIRBY: I'm not going to speak for the Army and the Air Force. I
have seen the Navy's directives. My understanding is that the Army and
the Air Force will be setting forth their timing or their
implementation guidelines here very, very soon.
The secretary wants -- as I said before, wants the services to move
out as smartly on this as possible, and to be as efficient and effective
in implementing the mandatory vaccines as they can be. And he has made
it clear that they need to report directly back to the deputy secretary
on a regular basis.
Q: But if there's no deadline in there, how is that a mandate? And
is that what the secretary's expectations were for these policies?
MR. KIRBY: The secretary expects that the services will implement a
mandatory vaccine with skill and compassion, as I said. And we'll do it
as swiftly and efficiently as their individual healthcare systems and
capabilities allow.
(inaudible)?
Q: John, you said secretary said, and president also said, that when
U.S. military was in Afghanistan, they give their best -- best
training and reference to the so-called Afghan military force. But they
didn't fight. My question is, do you think anybody in the DOD or
somewhere feels like, according to many reports, that they were really
Taliban, not the Afghan military? That's why they didn't fight? And
according to reports, Pakistan was helping, and they sent 10,000 to
15,000 Taliban from Pakistan into Afghanistan to fight and support the
Taliban's.
So, finally, any message from the secretary to the millions of
Afghans who said they are very thankful to the U.S. military that they
had protected them for over 20 years? And what is their future?
MR. KIRBY: Let me try to take them one at a time if I remember them
correctly. You're asking do we believe that a large portion of the
Afghan forces collapsed because they were Taliban? I've not seen any
indication that that's the case.
Your second question was about Pakistan flowing in fighters. I've not
seen anything to corroborate that report. I would, as we said before,
Pakistan has a shared interest in the safe havens that exist along that
border, and they, too, have become -- and have been victims of terrorist
activity. And I mean, I think that's something that we all share in
common here is helping -- helping each other not become victim to that,
to those kinds of attacks from that part of the world.
And your third question was the message of the Afghans after 20
years. Look, you know, you said -- I think the question you said was
that we protected them for 20 years. And certainly, there's truth in
that statement. I mean, we were on the ground there for 20 years with
NATO and coalition partners. And -- we did spend blood and treasure to
try to make sure Afghanistan doesn't become a safe haven again. And in
the process of that, helped build Afghan force capability and competency
in the field.
Obviously, nobody could have expected that -- that they would not
fight the way that they didn't fight. But Afghan soldiers, too, fought
and died for their country over the last 20 years. So there was -- it
wasn't just about us protecting Afghan life there. Many, many Afghan
soldiers and many Afghan civilians also suffered over the last 20 years
trying to -- trying to make that country a better place. And we
recognize that, and I think you heard the secretary and the chairman
both say that yesterday.
Q: The secretary from yesterday? Who said that he fought, himself, this war. Any message from him?
MR. KIRBY: I think I'm going to leave it to what the secretary said
yesterday. I don't believe that I can improve upon his words at the end
of his comments yesterday. Terese?
Q: Yes, thank you, John. This goes back to the question earlier
about veterans. You know, as someone who has served -- and served, and
had the honor to serve with Afghans. We're taught from basic training on
up; the number one thing we're taught is you do not leave your man
behind. Now, how can the Department of Defense go before the American
people, those military service members, and those veterans and say that
the mission was accomplished when people were left behind?
MR. KIRBY: I think Terese, so we've been very clear that -- that we
don't believe the effort has concluded. The military mission of
evacuation is over. And as you heard the secretary and the chairman say,
so too is the U.S. war in Afghanistan. But you've also heard the
secretary of state say that we're still going.
We know there are people that didn't make it out, American citizens
as well as special immigrant visa applicants. And the U.S. government is
going to continue to look for ways to try to help them find safe
passage out of the country. I don't foresee a military role in that. But
I would also remind, and again, let me make it very clear. But as
General McKenzie, I think, said very well, we're all heartbroken that we
weren't able to get every single person out. We all recognize that. And
don't think for a minute that people don't feel it here because we do.
But it is also important to remember the extraordinary effort that
was expended over the course of some 17 days to get over 124,000 people
out, including 6000 American citizens. The vast, vast majority of those
we believe that were there. So again, while recognizing there are still
individuals that will want to get out and will need to get out, and
we'll still work on that. I don't want it lost the extraordinary effort
that was -- that cost additional bloodshed of American troops. I don't
want that lost either, that effort was -- done with exceptional
professionalism and skill.
Think about the airlift effort alone. Over the course of 17 days, no
mechanical breakdowns. I mean, it was an incredible effort. And I just
don't want that to be lost in -- in what is fair scrutiny and fair
criticism, that not everybody was able to get airlifted out. An awful
lot of people were.
Tony?
Q: In the after-action reports that the secretary yesterday said
would be done with humility and transparency, and General Milley kept
alluding to. And has a process been started yet to do formal -- a formal
after-action report? And what will be the topics? Will it include the
broad topics and the evacuation?
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, Tony, I'm not aware of a formal process here, so I
can't speak to a report. It is, as you well know, common practice for us
to do after-action reports on almost everything that we do. So I have
full expectations that as a department, we will take the time to go back
and look at this operation, as the secretary said, and try to learn
lessons from it. Now whether that's produced in a formal report that
makes public. I can't attest to that right now. But we obviously will --
will go back over the course of appropriate time and try to see what we
could have done better and what we can learn from this operation.
Q: The other thing too, yesterday, the secretary rightly alluded to
the sacrifice of thousands of U.S. contractors who died. I want to ask
you. Does the DOD have a rough order number for how many contractors
died? Brown University has widely cited 3,841, but I wanted to hit. Does
DOD have something? And if not, can you make an attempt to try to get a
number?
MR. KIRBY: Let me take the question, Tony. I don't have a figure
here with me today. But I'll take the question and see if we have a
better answer for you.
Q: There's a lot of interest in that subject. And he rightly brought it up yesterday.
MR. KIRBY: It was by no coincidence that he mentioned the sacrifices
of our contractors and the mourning and the suffering that their
families are going through, because they were right there on the ground
with us almost from the very beginning.
Let me take the question and see if we have a better answer. As you
might imagine, that might be a little bit more difficult for us to get
to because contractors work for companies and weren't necessarily on the
government payroll.
Q: The Labor Department has a lot of those stats. The Labor Department has some of those stats.
MR. KIRBY: I will take the question, Tony, and see what we can do to get you an answer.
Q: Thank you.
Q: The secretary said there were thousands too, so you must have some order of magnitude (inaudible) --
MR. KIRBY: I understand. I'll take the question.
Yes, ma'am?
Q: Thank you. So the -- Secretary Austin and Turkish defense
minister had several phone calls about the -- providing security to
Afghanistan. But what's the latest update, I would like to ask? And
the second question is, it seems airport security provider is still
unclear. How will those be able to leave if there is no functioning
airport?
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, no, I got that part. The -- the first question, the -- an update to what?
Q: Well, like the -- I mean, the airport in Afghanistan. So there was the update, the -- the airport security (inaudible).
MR. KIRBY: Airport security.
Q: Yes.
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, I think you've heard the State Department talk
about this. There's a number of countries that are in discussions --
Qatar and Turkey are two of them -- for being able to provide some
measure of airport security so the airport can get back up and running,
and I understand that they are discussing with themselves how to move
forward with the Taliban on that, and I would refer you to those two
countries for updates. We would not be a party to that discussion.
I've got time for a couple more.
Oren?
Q: This is a group question. Do you have a number -- an update on the number of Afghans at CENTCOM bases?
MR. KIRBY: At CENTCOM bases. I actually think I might. Hold on
just a second. I know I had this in here somewhere. You know what,
Oren, I'm not going to hold everybody up. I think I have it in here.
Let me keep looking for it, but I do think I have it. I just have to
find it. Oh, here we go. I did have it.
In the Central Command AOR, the number is about 16,000. Yeah.
Thanks, and sorry for the delay there. It was just a matter of finding
it on the iPad.
Yeah, Jim?
Q: John, just how many American service members all told, from the
grounds of Afghanistan all the way back to, you know, Fort Bliss and
this area were involved in this? Can you give an idea of the scope of
the involvement of the military in this? Or is there a way to find
something like that out?
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, let me take the question, Jim. I'm sure we're
talking tens of thousands, if not more, that were involved in this,
yeah, but --
Q: (inaudible) 5,000 on the ground? I mean, it had to be huge.
MR. KIRBY: It stretched -- it stretched multiple combatant commands'
area of responsibility. You just heard from EUCOM. You're going to
hear from General VanHerck tomorrow at NORTHCOM. Of course, we know
General McKenzie at Central Command. I don't know. It's a great
question, and let us see if we can go back and do the math and get you
something more reliable, but I have not seen an estimate of total U.S.
military personnel involved in this from airlift to evacuation and
beyond, but I'm sure it's quite sizable. And as you heard the secretary
say yesterday, we're proud of, proud of each and every one of them.
Okay, thanks, everybody. Appreciate it, and I think we'll see you tomorrow.
Posts
