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Operation Allies Refuge
Operation Allies Refuge was a United States military operation to airlift certain at-risk Afghan civilians, particularly interpreters, U.S. embassy employees, and other prospective Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants from Afghanistan during the final days of the 2001–2021 War in Afghanistan. U.S. personnel also helped NATO and regional allies in their respective evacuation efforts from Hamid Karzai International Airport in the country's capital of Kabul. The operation was concurrent with the larger American military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the multinational evacuation of eligible foreigners and vulnerable Afghans. SIV applicants were airlifted to the United States, where they were temporarily housed by the U.S. military while they completed their SIV requirements. Operational history The operation's name was unveiled on 14 July 2021 by the Biden administration. On 22 July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expedit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2021 Evacuation From Afghanistan
Large-scale evacuations of foreign citizens and some vulnerable Afghan citizens took place amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces during the final days of the war in Afghanistan and the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan in 2021. After the fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021 and the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai International Airport remained the only non-Taliban controlled route out of the country, being protected by several thousand NATO troops. Although some countries had previously begun small-scale evacuation efforts in the months leading up to August 2021, such as the American Operation Allies Refuge and the British Operation Pitting, the collapse of the Afghan government occurred sooner than intelligence projections had estimated, and evacuation efforts became significantly more urgent. Several countries launched new evacuation operations, such as the Canadian Operation AEGIS, the Indian Operation Devi Shakti, and South Korean Operation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. According to late 2022 estimates, the population of Kabul was 13.5 million people. In contemporary times, the city has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural, and economical centre, and rapid urbanisation has made Kabul the 75th-largest city in the world and the country's primate city. The modern-day city of Kabul is located high up in a narrow valley between the Hindu Kush, and is bounded by the Kabul River. At an elevation of , it is one of the highest capital cities in the world. Kabul is said to be over 3,500 years old, mentioned since at least the time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Located at a crossroads in Asia—roughly halfway between Istanbul, Turkey, in the west and Hanoi, Vietnam, in the east—it is situated in a stra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camp Bondsteel
Camp Bondsteel is the operation headquarters of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo. It is located near Ferizaj in eastern Kosovo. It is the Regional Command-East headed by the United States Army (U.S. Army) and it is supported by troops from Greece, Italy, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey. The base is named after U.S. Army Staff Sergeant James L. Bondsteel, who is a Medal of Honor recipient. The camp occupies of land. During the construction of the base, two hills were flattened and the valley between them was filled. In August 1999, 52 helipads were constructed on the facility's west perimeter to handle helicopter aviation. The camp is built mainly of wooden, semi permanent SEA (South East Asia) huts and is surrounded by a high earthen wall. Facilities Camp Bondsteel was constructed by the 94th Engineer Construction Battalion, augmented by A Company, 864th Engineer Battalion and the 568 Combat Support Engineer Company, together with the Kellogg, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naval Air Station Sigonella
Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella is an Italian Air Force base ('' it, Aeroporto "Cosimo Di Palma" di Sigonella''), and a U.S. Navy installation at Italian Air Force Base Sigonella in Sicily, Italy. The whole NAS is a tenant of the Italian Air Force, which has the military and the administrative control. It serves as an Italian base for the 41º Stormo Antisom (41st Antisubmarine Warfare Wing). NAS Sigonella acts also as landlord to more than 40 other U.S. commands and activities. It is located west and south of the city of Catania, and some south of Mount Etna. The NAS is located in the western part of the large airport structure, while the Italian military base is located in the eastern part. Because of its location near the center of the Mediterranean Sea, NASSIG is well placed to support operations by the U.S. 6th Fleet, other U.S. military units, and U.S. allies and coalition partners. Among the aircraft that fly from this island base are Italian Air Force ATR 72MP ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaiserslautern Military Community
Kaiserslautern Military Community is a community of Americans living in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, supporting United States Armed Forces and NATO installations, such as the Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kapaun Air Station, Vogelweh Housing Area, Pulaski Barracks, Kleber Kaserne, Daenner Kaserne, Sembach Kaserne, Miesau Army Depot, and Rhine Ordnance Barracks. With around 54,000 people, including military service members, Department of Defense civilians and contractors as well as their families, the KMC is the largest U.S. military community outside of the United States. Facilities A combined Base Exchange (BX) and Post Exchange (PX) located on Ramstein Air Base makes it the largest AAFES shopping-facility in Europe - the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center (KMCC). This has become the biggest attraction for service members and their families. Several well-stocked libraries, several American restaurants (including a Chili's and Romano's Macaron ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base (IATA: SPM, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the USAF as a tenant constructed between 1951 and 1953 and located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate. History After emerging as the victors in the Second World War, the Western Allies (France, US, UK) occupied western Germany under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement. With the creation of NATO in response to Cold War tensions in Europe, USAFE wanted its vulnerable fighter units in West Germany moved west of the Rhein River to provide greater air defense warning time. France agreed to air base sites within its zone of occupation in the Rheinland-Palatinate. Spangdahlem base was constructed between 1951 and 1953 at a cost of roughly $27,000,000 using French and German contractors, working under the supervision of a French government agency. The initial USAF military presence began on 1 September 1952 with the arrival ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hohenfels, Bavaria
Hohenfels (literally ''High Cliffs'') is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in the region of Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz) in Bavaria, Germany. The town is host to the United States Army Garrison Hohenfels, which operates the Joint Multinational Readiness Center for training NATO armed forces. Military The German Army founded a training area in Hohenfels in 1938. During World War II there was a POW camp there, Stalag 383 On April 24, 1945, Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart's 65th Infantry Division captured Hohenfels. Major General Gustav Geiger, staff and guards surrendered. The POW camp with numerous British inmates was liberated. Later, between 1945-1949 the site became a displaced persons camp. United States Garrison Hohenfels In 1951, Hohenfels became a training area for the United States military and was used primarily by United States forces until 1956. In 1955, the German Bundeswehr was founded, and in 1956 the first German unit was stationed in Camp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr (, Northern Bavarian: ''Groafawehr'') is a town in the district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab, in the region of the Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz) in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwoehr Training Area (Tower Barracks), located directly south and west of the town. History Early history The town of Grafenwöhr (Island of the Count), was founded in the 9th century on an island (wöhr), located between the river Creussen and the Thum stream. In its early history, the inhabitants and the town of Grafenwöhr proper belonged to nobles from Schweinfurt, Bamberg, and Leuchtenberg. 20th century In 1907, Prince Luitpold, regent of the Kingdom of Bavaria, selected the area near the town of Grafenwöhr as the place best suited for training of the Bavarian Army (1806–1919). Construction began in 1908, and, by 1915, the training reservation was in area. The first artillery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), also known as Landstuhl Hospital, is a U.S. Army medical center, located in the German town of Landstuhl, near Ramstein Air Base. The installation is an amalgamation of Marceau Kaserne (german: Infanterie-Kaserne) and Wilson Barracks (''Kirchberg-Kaserne''), which were merged on October 15, 1951. It is the largest American hospital outside the continental United States; serving U.S. forces, their dependents, and retirees. History Landstuhl Regional Medical Center was established on October 15, 1951. Completion of the general hospital building occured on April 7, 1953. In 1980, soldiers who were injured in Operation Eagle Claw were brought to LAMC. During the 1990s, U.S. Army Europe underwent a reorganization, and hospitals in Frankfurt, Berlin, Nuremberg, and other bases were gradually closed down, or were downsized to clinics. In 1993, a group of 288 U.S. Air Force personnel augmented the hospital. By 1997, it was the only American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also for NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). Ramstein is located near the town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, which stands outside the base's west gate, in the rural district of Kaiserslautern. The east gate of Ramstein Air Base is approximately from Kaiserslautern (locally referred to by Americans as "K-Town"). Other nearby civilian communities include Landstuhl, some from the west gate. Overview The host unit is the 86th Airlift Wing (86AW), commanded by Brigadier General Otis C. Jones. The 86th Airlift Wing is composed of six groups, 30 squadrons and four bases in Germany, Spain, the Azores, and Belgium. Its mission is the operation and maintenance of airlift assets consisting of C-130Js, C-21s, and C-37A Gulfstream aircraft throughout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort Lee (Virginia)
Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, the U.S. Army Ordnance School, the U.S. Army Transportation School, the Army Logistics University (ALU), Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and the U.S. Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). Fort Lee also hosts two Army museums, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum and the U.S. Army Women's Museum. The equipment and other materiel associated with the Army's Ordnance Museum was moved to Fort Lee in 2009–2010 for use by the United States Army Ordnance Training and Heritage Center. The installation is named for U.S. Army Colonel and Confederate States General in Chief, Robert E. Lee. It is one of the U.S. Army installations named for Confederate soldiers that The Naming Commission is recommending be renamed. On August 8, 2022, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Averting Loss Of Life And Injury By Expediting SIVs (ALLIES) Act
The Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act (ALLIES) Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation would remove or revise some statutory requirements in the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process and designed to expedite the SIV process and increase the total number of visas available by several thousand. Provisions In a press release, sponsor Jason Crow (D-CO) listed aims of the Act: * Increase the SIV allotment by an additional 8,000 visas to cover all potentially eligible applicants and their families currently in the pipeline; * Amend the credible threat requirement, removing the necessity for applicants to provide additional paperwork to establish a credible threat we know exists for applicants with verified U.S. government ties; * Strengthen protections for surviving spouses and children, allowing them to retain eligibility if the primary SIV applicant dies before visa approval; * Clarify eligibility for certain Afghans who worked for Non-Government Organizations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
