The Biden administration on Sunday ordered U.S. commercial airliners to lend a hand with the mission to evacuate Americans and pro-U.S. Afghans from Afghanistan.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has formally activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which provides the Department of Defense temporary access to commercial airlines to augment its own fleet, Pentagon officials said in a statement.
In all, 18 aircraft will be part of the augmentation, officials said.
United Airlines will provide four planes, while American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Atlas Air, and Omni Air will each provide three aircraft. Hawaiian Airlines will also authorize two aircraft for the evacuation missions.
The planes won’t fly into Hamid Karzai International Airport, the scene of chaos since the fall of the pro-U.S. Afghan government to Taliban forces a week ago.
The commercial airliners will, however, be used to move passengers from interim staging bases around the world, with the goal of enhancing the U.S. military’s ability to focus on operations in and out of Kabul, officials said.
“The Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flight from this activation,” Pentagon officials said on Sunday.
The airlines will retain their civil status under FAA regulations during the period they are activated under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) provisions. But U.S. Transportation Command, working through the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, will exercise mission control, officials said.
The civil reserve air fleet has been activated twice in the past - during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm from August 1990 to May 1991 and from February 2002 to June 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Utilizing commercial partners “expands” the “global reach” of the Pentagon’s U.S. Transportation Command, as well as “access to valuable commercial intermodal transportation systems,” Pentagon officials said in a statement circulated Sunday.
The U.S. has evacuated about 17,000 people - including about 2,500 Americans - from Afghanistan over the past week. U.S. embassy officials have warned Americans to avoid Hamid Karzai International Airport because of the heavy crowds and frequent violent incidents outside the gates until they receive specific directions from a U.S. government official to do so.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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