Thread by @jseldin

Happening now: @SecDef Lloyd Austin, @thejointstaff Chairman Gen Mark Milley speaking to reporters for the 1st time since the fall of #Kabul, collapse of the @ashrafghani-led #Afghanistan gvt

NEW: "We remain laser focused right now on Hamid Karzai Int'l Airport in #Kabul & on doing everything we can" to evacuate American, Afghans, allies, per @SecDef

Says about 4,500 US troops in place - no hostile interactions w/#Taliban

US increasingly flow of aircraft, ppl out of #Kabul, per @SecDef

"Our US service members are making exceptional efforts under challenging circumstances" he adds

"All of this is very personal for me. This is a war I fought in and led" per @SecDef

"We have a moral obligation to help those who helped us...I feel the urgency deeply"

#Afghanistan

"The US military stands as one to honor those we've lost" @SecDef says of #Afghanistan veterans, their families

"We honor your service...we will never forget it"

"This is likely to be the 2nd largest NEO [Non combat evacuation operation] conducted by the #UnitedStates" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

#Afghanistan

"we conducted a deliberate and responsible drawdown of US forces to less than a 1,000 with the specific task of securing the U. S. embassy and our diplomatic presence in Afghanistan" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

"Since then the security situation rapidly degraded"

"Today, the situation is still very dangerous dynamic and fluid" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

#Afghanistan

US' #Afghan allies - "We're not going to leave them behind... we're going to get out as many as possible" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

"There will be many post-mortems on this topic, but right now is not the time" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

#Afghanistan

NEW: "The intelligence clearly indicated multiple scenarios were possible" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

"There was nothing that I or anyone else that indicated a collapse of this army, of this gvt in 11 days"

#Afghanistan

US #Afghanistan footprint - "We are operating on the ground with a variety of special operations forces" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley "That in combination of US ground forces are some of the best Soldiers and Marines the world has ever seen"

US also has "multiple squadrons of F-18s, AV-8s, F-16s, AC-130s, B-52 bombers & MQ-9s" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley "We have a significant amount of rotary aviation to include attack & lift helicopters"

US conducting 20 sorties of C-17s every 24 hours, per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley

Says that can be ramped up

"As we reflect on these difficult & challenging times, every Soldier Sailor Airman Marine and Coastguardsman who have fought in operations in Afghanistan... should hold their head high that for more than 20 years we have prevented an attack on the US homeland" per Gen Milley

"2,448 lost our lives. 20,722 were wounded in action and many others suffered the unseen wounds of war. To each of you, your service mattered" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley "This is personal & I know it is personal to every one of you"

#Afghanistan

"The forces that we have are focused on security of the airfield" per @SecDef, asked abt #Afghans trying to reach #Kabul airport to leave

"We have to make sure that we can not only secure the airfield ...but defend it as well"

"We will continue to coordinate, deconflict w/the #Taliban" per @SecDef, who says Taliban are looking to see if Afghans trying to get to #Kabul airport have the proper credentials/paper

"If they have them, they [#Taliban] have allowed them to pass" he says

"That would be a policy decision" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley, asked if the US can go out and get ppl

Milley says if directed, the US has the capabilities

But @SecDef says US does not have the capability to go get a large # of ppl

"We're really working hard to get as many ppl through as possible" per @SecDef

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

#Afghanistan

"I did not, nor did anyone else, see a collapse of a military of that size in 11 days" @thejointstaff's Gen Milley repeats, pressed on the sudden collapse of the #Afghan military

Echoes US sentiment that it was exacerbated by a lack of will, leadership by Afghan officials

"We have been pretty prudent in terms of thinking ahead, planning for contingencies" per @SecDef

"We're executing one of those plans right now"

#Afghanistan

"We're going to evacuate everybody we can physically, possibly evacuate" per @SecDec when pressed again on how US will get tens of thousands of Afghans out by August 31

US will try to "create passageways" he says, for Afghans to get to #Kabul airport

@SecDef says he does not have the ability to go out and extend US operations into #Kabul, as far as create passageways"

@thejointstaff Gen Milley says during the withdrawal US faced shutting down ops out of #Bagram or #HKIA (Hamid Karzai Int'l Airport)

Milley said given the mission at the time, choice was made to close Bagram

@thejointstaff Gen Milley declines to say when asked whether US is considering retaking #Bagram

#Taliban blocking access to #HKIA?

"There have been some unfortunate incidents" per @SecDef

"We've gone back to try to reinforce to the Taliban if they have credentials, they need to be allowed through" he says "That is working better now"

"There going to be plenty of time for AARs [after action reviews" per @thejointstaff's Gen Milley on the collapse of the #Afghanistan gvt, military & evacuation ops

"There going to be plenty of time to talk about regrets" he adds "Right now is not the time"

"We're going to do everything we can to continue to try to deconflict [w/#Taliban] & create passageways for [#Afghans] to get to the airfield" per @SecDef

"I don't have the capability to go out & extend operations currently into into #Kabul..."

"And where do you take that" per @SecDef "I mean, how far can you extend into #Kabul & how long does it take to flow those forces in to be able to do that"

#Bagram

@DanLamothe: "Is there any thought of retaking Bagram in order to expedite this evacuation? And if not why not?"

Gen Milley: "Good question. Great question. But I'm not going to discuss branches & sequels off of our current operation. I'll just leave it at that"