Eucom Ready for 25,000 Afghan Evacuees at a Time
AUG. 25, 2021 | BY C. TODD LOPEZ, DOD NEWS
Excerpt:
Across Europe, eight military installations in four nations stand ready to take on as many as 25,000 evacuees coming out of Afghanistan, Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters said during a briefing today at the Pentagon.
The eight locations include Ramstein Air Base, Rhine Ordnance Barracks, Spangdahlem Air Base, U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, and U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels, in Germany; as well as Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy; Naval Station Rota, Spain; and Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.
"This is a whole-of-government, whole-of-nation, whole-of-partner, whole-of-ally process," he said. "The trust and transparency that we've constructed over the course of the last several decades, in particular with our NATO allies and partners, has paid huge dividends with respect to the effectiveness of this operation."
When evacuees land in Eucom, the general said, they get food, water and shelter. They are also given medical screenings and are provided any follow-on medical care, if needed. All evacuees are screened for symptoms of COVID-19 as well, he said, adding that evacuees were also screened before leaving the Middle East and will be screened again when they arrive in the United States.
They are also getting security screenings in Europe, Wolters said, including meeting with personnel from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2746742/eucom-ready-for-25000-afghan-evacuees-at-a-time/
Command Master Chief Anna Wood assists Afghan evacuees at @nas_sigonella, Italy.