Afghanistan Threat Remains High as Withdrawal Reaches Final Hours

Aug. 30, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

The threat of another Islamic State-Khorasan attack on the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, and on U.S. troops based there remains high, but Pentagon leaders say there is “still time” to evacuate remaining Americans before a self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal.

With a terrorist attack declared “imminent,” the U.S. struck an explosive-laden truck Aug. 29. Later in the day, a U.S. Counter Rocket Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) system repelled one of five rockets launched at the airport, with one rocket falling within the Kabul airfield and two landing nearby without incident.

Army Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, said Aug. 30 the strike on the truck was necessary to prevent another “high-profile attack against both coalition/U.S. forces and other Afghan civilians,” though he declined to confirm reports of civilian casualties. “Commanders will always minimize collateral damage,” he added.

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said the airstrike against the truck was conducted with “over the horizon” capabilities, but he would not name the origin of those assets and said only that discussions with neighboring nations were continuing. Past airstrikes are known to have originated from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a commute of some four hours each way. The Defense Department for months has attempted to secure basing agreements with countries in the region for easier intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and closer airstrikes.

Kirby said the capabilities are in place to evacuate the several hundred Americans still in Afghanistan, not including troops, even though just over a day remains to complete the mission.

“There is still time, and the State Department is still in touch with additional American citizens,” Kirby said. However, he declined to confirm how many Americans are trying to reach the airport as the clock runs out. Kirby also refused to say what time zone would be used for measuring the Aug. 31 deadline.

More than 122,000 Americans, coalition forces, and Afghans have now been evacuated since the mission began in late July, including 5,400 American citizens.

The Defense Department is coordinating a multi-staged operation to return Americans home and move Afghans to third countries for processing. Presently, 26,000 Afghans await forward movement and processing at six locations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Another 22,000 are being temporarily housed in three locations in the U.S. European Command AOR. In the U.S. homeland, U.S. Northern Command is managing 13,000 individuals at five locations.

Six flights to Dulles International Airport, Va., and Philadelphia International Airport are scheduled to take some 3,700 individuals to the United States.

Taylor said 28 flights departed the airport in the past 24 hours, evacuating just 1,200 individuals. He would not say if the reduced throughput of individuals was a result of their failure to reach the airport or the movement of equipment out of country on the departing aircraft.

Taylor also confirmed that DOD is destroying some assets on-site to prevent them from falling “into the hands of anybody else.”

Strategic Command Needs New Three-Way Deterrence Model, Deputy Commander Says

Aug. 27, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

U.S. Strategic Command is struggling to find a deterrence model that will work for three comparably armed nuclear powers, but it is not seeking to match Russia’s new kinds of nuclear weapons, which aren’t covered under existing treaties, said Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere.

The U.S. has “fairly coherent two-body deterrence models,” Bussiere said in a streaming seminar presented by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “We have decades of experience” within the Pentagon and academia providing a foundation for deterrence between the U.S. and Russia.

But as for a three-way Cold War that includes China, “that’s a dynamic I don’t think our nation has teased out,” he acknowledged. “That’s a challenge. … There’s some serious intellectual energy that needs to be applied to this problem.” He said the situation is on the minds of strategic leaders “24/7, 365.”

Bussiere reported that China is developing its nuclear capabilities at “a breathtaking pace” and has been conducting more ballistic missile tests, of various classes, than “all other countries combined.” China’s nuclear development is seeing “a rapid expansion, with purpose.” When pressed as to when “the crossover point”—when China actually deploys more nuclear weapons than Russia—will come, he said, “We believe, in the next few years.”

China and Russia have “different national objectives,” Bussiere noted, and need to be deterred differently. However, he also said, “We’re seeing indications that those nations are cooperating across different spectrums and presenting a cooperative deterrence model.”

Both China and Russia have “the ability to unilaterally escalate a conflict to any level of violence in any domain, in any geographic location, at any time, with any instrument of their national power. And I’d offer that we haven’t faced a … global situation like that in 30-plus years.”

China can no longer be viewed as a “lesser included case” because it will “soon surpass” Russia’s strategic capability. Yet, there is no framework under which to negotiate arms limits with China, and China has expressed no interest in creating one.

“We need to think about a deterrence theory that accounts for a three-party nuclear capability,” he noted. The U.S. invested “great intellectual input and energy” on bipolar deterrence 70 years ago and now needs to do the same for the new multipolar world.

“We need … a deep understanding of how we are going to deter two global nuclear powers that have global aspirations and impacts—and do that as we maintain the stability and provide extended deterrence,” he said.

China’s nuclear stockpile is still dwarfed by that of the U.S. and Russia, but Bussiere said, “We don’t approach it from purely a numbers game. It is what is operationally fielded, … status of forces, posture of those fielded forces. So it is not just a stockpile number.”

Bussiere admitted to being “baffled” by Russia’s development of new kinds of nuclear missiles, such as the nuclear-armed Kinzhal hypersonic missile and the Poseidon torpedo, which when launched against a coastline could cause a radioactive tsunami across a broad portion of a coastline. The U.S. has no analogous weapons, and Bussiere indicated there’s no plan to obtain them.

“I would not recommend that we try to develop in-kind systems,” he said, adding he can’t fathom why Russia would undertake their development “after agreeing to and extending the New START treaty.” But “it begs the question, why are they developing these capabilities? Why are they expanding their non-treaty accountable stockpiles?”

He said more discussion of this inscrutable development is needed among European NATO allies because it is a concern for countries in Russia’s “near abroad.”

Bussiere suggested “international attention to those exotic capabilities and [to] question the need, and why.” If the goal is to provide stability within different arms control treaties, “why would you need to develop those capabilities?”

But he doesn’t suggest answering those developments with something similar. Rather, “from a foundational [perspective], we need to make sure we have a safe, effective, and reliable triad that can provide a foundation of strategic deterrence.” He reiterated STRATCOM’s position that “we have bought all the operational margin in our current weapon systems that we can” and that life-extending the existing triad is neither cost-effective nor strategically desirable. He also emphasized that the existing nuclear arsenal can’t merely be decommissioned until the new one reaches service but instead must be kept “credible and reliable.”

Asked how the Army can help contribute to nuclear deterrence, Bussiere said he hopes the Army War College will contribute its “intellectual horsepower” to the discussion on deterrence in a multi-polar world “and continue to expand your capabilities and capacity that provide the conventional deterrence framework for approaching our adversaries.” The Army also has officers in STRATCOM who are “exquisite nuclear experts” who contribute to the mission “every day,” he added.

Cotton Relieves Ray at Top of Global Strike Command

Aug. 27, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

Gen. Anthony J. Cotton received his fourth star and took charge of Air Force Global Strike Command on Aug. 27, pledging to shepherd the two Air Force legs of the nuclear triad through a “major transition,” a reference both to much-needed modernization and increasing strategic competition.

Cotton, a career missile and space officer, cited rising threats from Russia and China, pointedly noting reports that China has added numerous intercontinental ballistic missile silos and that Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have modernized 80 percent of his nation’s nuclear arsenal.

But Cotton also noted the challenges facing the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise, citing modernization like the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent and the Long Range Standoff weapon system, which will each take about a decade to mature. “We need to masterfully execute the modernization of the nuclear portfolio,” Cotton said. “We need to have agile technology infused in our systems, ready to adapt to future challenges. We also need to sustain our current force and keep it capable and ready until replacements arrive.”

AFGSC must heed the call of call to “accelerate change or lose” voiced by Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.

Cotton takes command of AFGSC after nearly two years as its deputy, serving under Gen. Timothy M. Ray, who retired in July and officially handed over the reins Aug. 27.

“Tony, I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate,” Ray said. “We never had to be boss and deputy, we were just two senior leaders trying to sort it all out. I couldn’t have asked for a better interlocutor, a better teammate to talk at the strategic level. … In our conversations, it was an instant connection.”

China and Russia, who Ray called “Dragon” and “Bear,” pose an existential threat that Global Strike will have to contend with for years to come, Ray said. “We’re entering an unprecedented time … that will pose probably one of the toughest strategic challenges to who we are.”

Brown, who presided over the promotion ceremony that immediately preceded the change of command, praised the leadership of both Ray and Cotton, saying they had instilled an innovative, responsive culture at Global Strike Command.

“There are a few things that the Air Force can never get wrong. Ensuring the safety, the security and the reliability of two-thirds of our nation’s nuclear triad is binary. We must never fail,” Brown said. “That is why Gen. Cotton is a perfect choice to inspire and lead this command into the future. Throughout Tony’s career, he has demonstrated great vision, courage, and leadership.”

In addition to serving as deputy commander, Cotton previously commanded the 20th Air Force, the 45th Space Wing, and the 341st Missile Wing. He also served as commander and president of Air University from 2018 to 2019.

That stint in charge of the 20th Air Force, Cotton said Aug. 27, was particularly meaningful to him, because it is the same numbered air force that his father served in throughout his own Air Force career.

“He was my biggest hero, and I’m blessed to follow in the footsteps of that Chief, my dad, Chief Master Sergeant James Cotton,” he said.

Cotton is the first Black commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, and one of only a handful of Black four-star generals in Air Force history. He acknowledged that Aug. 27, saying he was “humbled to stand on the shoulders of icons” like Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the first Black brigadier general in the service, Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr., the first Black four-star, Gen. Lloyd W. “Fig” Newton, Gen. Lester L. Lyles, Gen. Larry O. Spencer, Gen. Darren W. McDew and Brown, the first Black Chief of Staff. Cotton said each of them, as well as former Chiefs of Staff Gens. Larry D. Welch and Curtis E. LeMay, were all inspirational in his career.

Allied Space Chiefs Tout Partnership, Domain Awareness

Aug. 27, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

The United States and its allies must partner more closely to ensure space domain awareness in an increasingly complex and important domain, leading military space leaders said during a panel discussion in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Space leaders representing 23 nations, including the the United Kingdom, Finland, Japan, France, Germany, and Chile, joined U.S. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond on Aug. 26, sharing their perspectives and embracing their cooperative spirit. “What you’ll see with these partners is we exercise together, we train together, we wargame together, we build capabilities together for the first time,” Raymond said.

But speaking Aug. 25 at the National Space Symposium, Raymond said the partners can do more to integrate networks and information systems to advance their shared mission of assured access to space in the face of demonstrated anti-satellite capabilities developed by China and Russia.

Essential partnerships

German Lt. Gen. Klaus Habersetzer, speaking just a month after his country stood up the Bundeswehr Space Command, said partnership is essential. Germany merged its civilian and military space resources a decade ago and ramped up international cooperation. “The challenges are simply too big to tackle alone,” he said.

Habersetzer called for better organization and coordination of investment among the allies. “This command is a perfect platform, a prerequisite for personnel exchange, the development of common procedures, exchanging of experiences, lessons identified, and lessons learned, and last but not least, creating a common space situational awareness,” he said.

British Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said “operational collaboration,” including integrating capabilities, equipment and “getting people working together,” should be a common objective among the allies. De-classification could help in that process, he said.

“We would all recognize that there are some aspects of what goes on in space that have probably been too highly classified for too long, and there is a need to share that information,” he said. “In particular, share that information around domain awareness and what is going on.”

Wigston reiterated Britain’s call for the United Nations to establish norms of behavior in space as a coordinated response to Chinese and Russian anti-satellite weapons development.

“The UK believes strongly that an open and resilient international order is fundamental to all of our security and prosperity, and that means people playing by the rules,” he said.

The French, who stood up a space command in 2010 and developed a space defense strategy in 2019, sent liaison officer Col. Laurent Rigal to U.S. Space Command in July.

French Air Force Maj. Gen. Michel Friedling sees resiliency through redundant capabilities as one of the fruits of cooperation. “According to our strategy, we have a huge field of cooperation regarding space operations,” he said— “from strategic communication to the ability to operate together, which requires common vision of threats, but also compatible doctrines, interoperable procedures, and capabilities and shared space domain awareness.”

Adversary awareness

Finland’s Air Command chief Maj. Gen. Pasi Jokinen noted that today’s on-orbit systems do not “fully support operations in the northern latitudes.” Only through coordinated cooperation do the allies gain such capabilities, he said. “There’s a lot to defend in space, and cooperation and partnerships are required because nobody can do space alone.”

Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Gen. Shunji Izutsu said rules will prevent conflict. “Space is nowadays very, very crowded, and if a fight occurs in the space, it means a gunfight in a crowded city,” he said. “Rule-making is very, very important.”

Izutsu said the same common approach developed for international air traffic control 50 years ago should be applied to the space domain.

Raymond underscored the urgency of defining responsible behavior in space, touching on the five tenets released by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on July 7.

“It just goes back to every warfighting domain: There’s rules for safe and professional behavior, and we don’t have that today in space,” Raymond said, noting that publicly calling out bad actors has helped. “It’s been very valuable to have not just one country messaging but multiple countries messaging.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 10:02 a.m. on Aug. 30 to correct the rank for the Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Gen. Shunji Izutsu.

More Bases Accept Afghan Evacuees as Aug. 31 Deadline Looms

Aug. 27, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

More U.S. military bases are accepting Afghan evacuees as pressure mounts to complete the airlift mission out of Kabul following of the suicide attack that killed 13 U.S. troops.

The Pentagon announced Aug. 27 that Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., will join Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Pickett in Virginia in accepting refugees. The Pentagon also reported that the U.S. and its allies had evacuated 105,000 people from Afghanistan since Aug. 14.

The Pentagon said the Aug. 26 ISIS-Khorasan suicide bomb attack outside the airport killed 13 U.S. troops, including 11 Marines, one Soldier, and one Sailor. Despite initial reports of two bombings, the investigation has determined there was just one explosion, said Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor, the Joint Staff’s deputy director of regional operations, in a briefing.

The attack did not stop evacuations, and about 8,000 people departed the airport the same day.

“We have seen firsthand how dangerous that mission is. But ISIS will not deter us from accomplishing this mission,” Taylor said. “We appreciate your thoughts and prayers for all of our service members who are carrying on this mission today. Above all, we remain focused on evacuating American citizens and other personnel designated by the Department of State, safeguarding the lives of those whom we are providing assistance, and keeping American troops safe.”

In the final days approaching the Aug. 31 deadline, troops will start to carry out their equipment and depart the country. There were still about 5,000 U.S. service members at the airport Aug. 27, but Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said the department will no longer announce exact numbers and capabilities as the mission winds down.

U.S. troops at the airport have begun controlled demolition of equipment at the airport to prevent it from falling into Taliban or ISIS-K hands, though radars and other capabilities required for air operations remain so that planes can continue flying until the last moment.

Kirby said U.S. forces will continue to fly out evacuees to rescue as many as possible. At least 5,000 evacuees were still awaiting flights Aug. 27.

“As we get closer, … you’re gonna see us begin to make those muscle movements to pull out our troops, and some of our equipment, as appropriate with any retrograde,” Kirby said. “What we want to do is preserve as much capability for as long as we can, both in terms of the security footprint, but also in terms of the ability … to move out evacuees.

“Lives are still the priority,” he said. “We will try to continue to get as many out as possible.”

What ‘Digital Force’ Really Means—and How to Build One

Aug. 27, 2021 | By Amanda Miller

Members of the military and the defense industry tackled what Air Force Brig. Gen. John M. Olson called the “ethereal or amorphous or ambiguous” concept of a “digital force” in a panel talk at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Aug. 25.

Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond announced his vision in May for the Space Force to become the first “digital service.” But, what does being a “digital force” really mean, and how do you build one?

Here’s what the panelists had to say:

Define It

One consensus: Data provides the backbone of a digital force.

A digital force is “powered by data, and the power has to be [at] your fingertips,” said Stephen Kitay, senior director of Microsoft’s cloud service Azure Space. That means “anytime, at any security level, anywhere in the world—or, off the world.”

Write Detailed Requirements

Often the ability to field a new system comes down to whether the digital infrastructure is ready to go, said Scott Nowlin, strategic systems chief engineer for Air and Space Force Solutions at BAE Systems.

“It really gets down to the requirements,” Nowlin said. For example, “How fast do you need it as a warfighter?” he asked. ”It’s not just the warfighting requirements—it’s the requirements for your digital infrastructure. … The No. 1 imperative is to help define those requirements, and a digital force, a data-intensive force, shouldn’t shy away from that.”

Measure Outcomes

Measuring the outcomes of programs or missions may be more difficult in the digital domain, but “it’s vitally important to ‘measure what matters,’” said Olson, who is both mobilization assistant to Raymond and the Space Force’s acting chief technology and innovation officer, highlighting an expression he likes to use.

Data may be the backbone, but “it’s what we do with that data” that really matters, Olson said—”Turning that into actionable information at the ‘speed of need.’” To do so, the services collectively need to “drive toward those metrics or measurements that allow us to know when we get there.”

Build In Scalability

Building a digital force applies to more than weapons systems or intelligence. Carol Erikson, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of systems engineering and digital transformation, says even “back-office functions” need to be addressed.

“In order to scale, we need to be able to apply these digital capabilities very specifically to the unique program requirements and mission areas that need the capabilities—but you also have to be able to expand across the whole enterprise,” Erikson said. “How do we manage the digital transformation of our business processes, our program management processes, our global supply chain processes, so that across the board all of our functions are operating at the ‘speed of relevance’?”

Break Down Data Barriers

The panelists cited barriers to accessing all the data that a service will need to become a “digital force,” including over-classification on the government side and legal agreements on the commercial side.

To help remedy that?

“Elevate the importance of addressing the security barriers,” Erikson said, including both the often long process of receiving approval to operate at a given security level; and the difficulty of exchanging data across security levels.

“What can we do to bridge the gap across all of our integrated systems so that we really can get access to that data?” Erikson said. “We have to have tough discussions about data covenants, and … standards—interoperability standards between models, or standard taxonomy across companies—that then can make it easier for our mission customers to, again, leverage that data to the most effectiveness.”

Space Development Agency to Issue RFP for Tranche 1 Transport Layer This Month

Aug. 27, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The Space Development Agency will soon issue an official request for proposals for its Tranche 1 Transport Layer, which will provide the Defense Department a range of options for sharing information if signals are jammed or systems destroyed. The solicitation comes as the Department of the Air Force moves out on plans to build a more resilient satellite architecture.

“Resiliency isn’t just about the individual satellite—it’s about the architecture, and it’s about a range of features that you can bring to bear,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., Aug. 24.

The Space Development Agency on Aug. 30 will release a request for proposals for up to 144 satellites that would eventually form a transport layer of 300 to more than 500 satellites in low Earth orbit. The massive constellation will provide assured, resilient military data and conductivity over 95 percent of Earth with at least two satellites at any given time. One satellite will be in view over 99 percent of the locations on Earth to provide constant, worldwide coverage with optical inter-satellite links that perform better than existing radio frequency links.

Space Development Agency Director Derek M. Tournear told journalists at the symposium that the first tranche of satellites to enhance transportation and tracking are scheduled to launch in late 2024.

“That’s kind of what we think the reality is at this point,” he said, when asked if that’s too long to wait. “We have fiscal realities, and then we have production realities that have to be matched.”

The constellation will be capable of processing a high volume of data with minimal delay, forming the “backbone” for combined joint all-domain command and control to quickly deliver sensor-to-shooter and direct-to-weapon connectivity, according to SDA.

Kendall said the Air Force has long talked about employing a disaggregated and proliferated satellite architecture for greater resiliency.

“Instead of putting all of our value, if you will, into one or two satellites, we distribute it out over a wider architecture, [which] makes it harder to attack,” Kendall said. “What we need to do first is make sure we understand our requirements and what it is we’re going to try to buy, and then you move out as quickly as you can.”

In the future, Kendall said tools like automated manufacturing and abbreviated testing can be used to save money. “Those are all part of the process potentially,” he said.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond said the fundamental building blocks are already in place to “make that shift toward a more resilient architecture,” noting he has the capabilities to protect satellites currently on orbit.

“As we’ve said all along, we will be prepared to protect and defend our capabilities. We are prepared to do that today,” Raymond said.

DOD Continues Flow of Aid to Haiti after Earthquake, Tropical Storm

Aug. 26, 2021 | By Greg Hadley

The Defense Department’s joint task force in support of Haiti has helped saved hundreds of lives in the past two weeks, a Pentagon official said, supporting relief efforts for the island nation as it recovers from back-to-back natural disasters.

On Aug. 14, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook the country, causing widespread destruction and resulting in at least 2,200 deaths. Two days later, Tropical Storm Grace hit, bringing wind and rains that resulted in flooding.

An Air Force C-130 deployed to Haiti on Aug. 15, carrying a team from U.S. Southern Command to assess the impact of the earthquake. U.S. Southern Command also established Joint Task Force-Haiti, with the Navy using ScanEagle drones and P-8 Poseidon planes to provide aerial images of the areas affected by the earthquake and four helicopters—two UH-60s and two CH-47s—providing airlift support for relief efforts.

On Aug. 25 in a press briefing, Army Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor provided an update on DOD’s contribution to humanitarian relief efforts.

As of Aug. 24, the joint task force has conducted more than 346 missions across air, land, and sea since arriving in Haiti, Taylor said, using DOD and Coast Guard assets.

As a result of those missions, the military has assisted or saved “over 436 lives” and delivered more than 163,000 pounds of aid supplies, Taylor said.

Lives saved are counted “when disaster victims are rescued or evacuated with life-threatening injuries or from conditions that pose a direct or potential life-threatening risk,” Jose Ruiz, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman, told Air Force Magazine.

“This lifesaving aid and assistance mission is where DOD’s unique capabilities, specifically in airlift and logistics, are engaged each day to get that lifesaving aid where it needs to be rapidly,” Taylor said.

The number of DOD aircraft in Haiti has increased as well—on Aug. 24, Taylor said four MV-22 Ospreys from the U.S. Marine Corps had deployed to the island to bolster 18 DOD and Coast Guard aircraft already supporting the mission, including a Coast Guard C-130. A number of naval ships also have deployed.

The Air Force has deployed four C-130s of its own to Haiti, all from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., Ruiz told Air Force Magazine. Specially-trained airfield management personnel deployed as well.

“We know there is much, much more work to do in Haiti to help the Haitian people,” Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said Aug. 23. “And we’re committed to being there and to doing that, for as long as possible.”

Kabul Airlift Continues After Suicide Bombing Kills 13 Troops, Dozens of Afghans

Aug. 26, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. airlift mission in Afghanistan is continuing, following one of the deadliest attacks on American forces in the 20-year war.

An expected Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) suicide bomb attack killed 13 U.S. service members and injured 15 more at a gate leading in to the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26. Dozens of Afghans crowding the gate to the airport in desperation to leave the country also were killed, and many more injured.

“These American service members who gave their lives … were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in the dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others,” President Joe Biden said in remarks at the White House.

U.S. military commanders were “unanimous” in their recommendations to continue the mission of evacuating Americans and qualified Afghans from the country, Biden said. The U.S. “will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission.”

American officials believe they know the ISIS-K members behind the attack, and those responsible will be hunted down.

“To those who carried out the attack, … we will not forgive, we will not forget,” he said. “We will hunt you down and make you pay. I’ll defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.”

U.S. Central Command boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., in a briefing, said he expects more attacks on American forces as the airlift continues, but American planes will continue to airlift Afghans and U.S. citizens from Kabul.

“We continue to focus on the protection of our forces and the evacuees as the evacuation continues,” McKenzie said. “Let me be clear, while we’re saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we continue to execute the mission.”

U.S. forces have monitored “threat streams” of more possible attacks by ISIS, including targeting aircraft taking off. Some coalition planes have seen small-arms fire, and while aircraft such as U.S. Air Force C-17s, have countermeasures, he does not believe ISIS has a surface-to-air missile threat. The group is also reportedly looking to use other suicide bombs, including vehicle-borne ones, to target the airport.

U.S. forces have shared “versions” of this intelligence to the Taliban outside the gates of the airport, and McKenzie said he does not believe the group is connected to or allowed the Aug. 25 attack to occur.

At the airport, U.S. forces are flying surveillance aircraft such as MQ-9 Reapers and other drones to monitor the situation. Navy F/A-18s, USAF F-15s and MC-130s, and Army AH-64s also are flying above the airport.

While the U.S. troops have attempted to push back some of the perimeter for safety, there’s no other way to search potential evacuees than face-to-face.

“This is close-up work,” McKenzie said. “The breath of the person you are searching is upon you. While we have overwatch in place, we still have to touch the clothes of a person that’s coming in. I think you all can appreciate the courage and the dedication that is necessary to do this job, and to do it time after time.”

As of Aug. 26, service members at the airport had searched approximately 104,000 people as part of the evacuation mission. After the attack, there were 5,000 people at the airport awaiting airlift, and “a number of buses” came on to the airfield in the hours following, McKenzie said.

“The plan is designed to operate while under stress and under attack,” he said. “And we will continue to do that. We will coordinate very carefully to make sure that it’s safe for American citizens to come to the airfield.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, in a statement, said terrorists killed the service members “at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others.”

“We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief,” he said. “But we will not be dissuaded from the task at hand. To do anything less—especially now—would dishonor the purpose and sacrifice these men and women have rendered our country and the people of Afghanistan.

Department of the Air Force leaders in an Aug. 26 statement expressed sympathy to the U.S. servicemembers and Afghans killed in the attack.

“U.S. Air and Space Force personnel will continue our work supporting the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens and other evacuees from Afghanistan,” the statement said. “Our collective resolve will not be deterred by these senseless attacks, and we will remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 6:07 p.m. on Aug. 26 to include additional information from the White House.