{"id":34189,"date":"2021-04-23T22:43:21","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T22:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/23\/us-air-strikes-surveillance-in-afghanistan-may-continue-from-afar-after-drawdown\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:03:37","slug":"us-air-strikes-surveillance-in-afghanistan-may-continue-from-afar-after-drawdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/04\/23\/us-air-strikes-surveillance-in-afghanistan-may-continue-from-afar-after-drawdown\/","title":{"rendered":"US airstrikes, surveillance in Afghanistan may continue from afar after drawdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. military is mulling how to position its aircraft throughout the Middle East and Asia to continue airstrikes and intelligence-gathering missions in Afghanistan, as American forces prepare to leave key installations like Bagram Air Base behind, the head of U.S. Central Command said this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie told lawmakers he is drawing up options for keeping counterterrorism forces on call in the region. Those alternatives are due to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by the end of April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manned or unmanned aircraft could play a large role in any remaining presence that could peer into and respond to threats inside Afghanistan, McKenzie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He made <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/04\/22\/politics\/mckenzie-afghanistan-air-strikes\/index.html\" target=_blank>similar remarks<\/a> before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday: \u201cI didn\u2019t say we wouldn\u2019t go back in to strike. But we\u2019re not planning to go back in to reoccupy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/22\/us-troops-in-afghanistan-begin-packing-gear-in-pullout-prep\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6280920.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US military begins shipping equipment in Afghanistan pullout prep<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There have been indications that the pullout could be completed well before Sept. 11.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find and track insurgents, the U.S. needs to maintain \u201cheavy intelligence support\u201d in the area, he said.<b> <\/b>The farther an aircraft like a Reaper drone must travel, the harder that becomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou will have to base your overhead [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets] from no longer within Afghanistan, where an MQ-9 can take off and be over its target in a matter of minutes,\u201d McKenzie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. is dispatching its diplomats to feel out whether a neighboring country would be open to hosting American surveillance assets, he added: \u201cWe will look at all the countries in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearby countries like Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan no longer have agreements with the United States that would allow military forces to be based in-country to conduct strikes or surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome of them may be very far away,\u201d McKenzie said of potential hosts. \u201cThere would be a significant bill for those types of resources, because you\u2019d have to cycle a lot of [ISR aircraft] in and out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maintaining a strong surveillance network will be key to ensuring \u201cindividuals in caves\u201d cannot organize to threaten the U.S. homeland, said Amanda Dory, acting undersecretary of defense for policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once a target is identified, the military would need a way to strike from afar \u2014 more difficult than a bomb dropped or missile fired from inside the country, but still possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. forces could use long-range precision weapons, manned raids or manned aircraft to take out a target, McKenzie said. Whichever the military chooses must minimize civilian deaths and other collateral damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are problems with all three of those options, but there\u2019s also opportunities with all three of those options,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/04\/16\/afghanistan-war-cost-more-than-2t-and-240000-lives-report-finds\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/806037.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Afghanistan war cost more than $2T and 240,000 lives, report finds<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The figures include half-a-trillion dollars on interest.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An aircraft carrier will remain in the region so that fighter jets can respond to threats during the drawdown, which President Joe Biden has pledged to complete by Sept. 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.afcent.af.mil\/News\/Article\/2584009\/b-52s-arrive-at-al-udeid-ab-in-support-of-afghanistan-drawdown\/\" target=_blank>B-52 bombers<\/a> were also dispatched to protect departing forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/23\/navy-carrier-air-force-b-52s-army-rangers-to-help-protect-afghanistan-pullout-officials-say\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ike.jpg_c16d07.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Navy carrier, Air Force B-52s, Army Rangers to help protect Afghanistan pullout, officials say<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cI would advise the Taliban that we will be well-prepared to defend ourselves throughout the withdrawal process,\u201d said Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida questioned whether it makes strategic sense to abandon Bagram Air Base in the northeast as the Pentagon increasingly focuses on nearby China, Russia and Iran. Air Force organizations like the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing use Bagram as a home base for A-10s, C-130s, HH-60s and other combat platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBagram is key terrain tactically in Afghanistan, operationally, and strategically, it\u2019s the definition of key terrain,\u201d McKenzie answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to put on rose-colored glasses and say it\u2019s going to be easy to do,\u201d he added of striking the right counterterrorism balance in the region. \u201cWe\u2019re examining this problem with all of our resources right now to find a way to do it in \u2026 the most intelligent, risk-free manner that we can.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, is drawing up options for keeping counterterrorism forces on call in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":65325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3392],"class_list":["post-34189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DOG47GLLFRDDXLCGNMINUAIKKQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/04\/23\/us-air-strikes-surveillance-in-afghanistan-may-continue-from-afar-after-drawdown\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US airstrikes, surveillance in Afghanistan may continue from afar after drawdown - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, is drawing up options for keeping counterterrorism forces on call in the region.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US airstrikes, surveillance in Afghanistan may continue from afar after drawdown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Marine Gen. 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