DOD leaders promise 'laser focus' on Afghanistan evac operation

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said today the Pentagon is committed to the ongoing evacuation of U.S. personnel and allies from Afghanistan.

Austin said during a Pentagon press conference the U.S. military is "laser focused" on keeping control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in so it can ramp up the flow of people out of the country.

"We're going to get everyone that we can possibly evacuate evacuated . . . until the clock runs out or we run out of capability," he said.

Currently, that clock is set to run out Aug. 31.

"We're really working hard to get as many people through as possible," he said. "Our goal is to be able to increase our capacity going forward."

Austin said the United States has moved about 5,000 people out of Afghanistan since the Taliban took over. Earlier today, John Kirby, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said 2,000 people have been airlifted from Afghanistan in 18 flights over the past 24 hours.

The Pentagon's goal, Kirby said, is to move a maximum of between 5,000 and 9,000 people per day.

Though Austin said there have been no "hostile interactions" with the Taliban, Milley said U.S. troops there are still in "harm's way."

Milley said the U.S. military continues to communicate and "deconflict" with the Taliban forces that have seized control of most of the country, including the capital, Kabul.

Meanwhile, Milley said no one in the U.S. national security community predicted the fall of the Afghan military within an 11-day period.

"I can tell you that there are not reports that I am aware of that predicted a security force of 300,000 would evaporate in 11 days from 6 August to 16 August with the capture of 34 provinces and the capital city of Kabul," he said.

Milley said now is not the time for the Pentagon to run a "post-mortem" or after-action report on the chaotic evacuation operation, which he noted will likely be the second-largest, non-combatant evacuation the United States has ever executed.

"We are the United States military, and we will successfully evacuate all American citizens who want to get out of Afghanistan," he said. "Right now, there are troops at risk . . . there's going to be plenty of time to talk about regrets."