Pentagon Orders <br />Commercial Airlines, to Assist in Afghanistan Evacuation.<br />Pentagon Orders <br />Commercial Airlines, to Assist in Afghanistan Evacuation.<br />Six commercial airlines were ordered to <br />provide 18 aircraft to assist in the evacuation <br />of "U.S. citizens and personnel" from Afghanistan.<br />The Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) is a <br />decades-old program in which commercial aircraft ...<br />... are utilized by the U.S. military to assist in <br />a “major national defense emergency.”.<br />The program was last put into effect <br />during both of the Iraq Wars.<br />CRAF activation provides the Department of Defense access to commercial air mobility resources to augment our support to the Department <br />of State .., John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, <br />via NBC News.<br />... in the evacuation of U.S. citizens and personnel, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other at-risk individuals <br />from Afghanistan, John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, <br />via NBC News.<br />The Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flights from <br />this activation, John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, <br />via NBC News.<br />The aircraft provided by major U.S. carriers <br />will not fly directly into Kabul.<br />... where the evacuation crisis continues to <br />spiral since the city was overtaken by the Taliban.<br />Instead, the aircraft will act as transport for those <br />who have already been evacuated from Kabul, .<br />... moving them to military bases and other <br />destinations in both Europe and the Middle East.<br />This will allow U.S. military aircraft to continue <br />to conduct the evacuations out of Kabul.<br />President Joe Biden stated on Aug. 22 that <br />non-U.S. citizens who are evacuated will receive <br />"thorough security screening.".<br />The airline carriers involved in CRAF include <br />America Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines
