House correspondent, phil mattingly, and cnn senior international security editor, nick paton walsh. Let me start with you. 17 capitals now, at least 17, this is happening remarkably fast. In a week. And if you cast your mind back, victor, to literally how the last 20 years have often been about stalemates over a village in the middle of nowhere, an intense amount of u. S. Military power, the speed of this reversal is utterly staggering, faster frankly than when the u. S. Swept in, in 2001. The second and third largest cities in talibans hands. Kandahar fell overnight. It feels like a couple of days ago now, remarkable that they have that hugely symbolic birthplace of their movement now in their hands. The question, what of kabul next . Yes, theres mazari in the north, possibly the east, but its very clear they have their target set On Kabul, but do they want a lengthy and bitter Street Fight for a city of 6 Million to 7 Million people . Many doubt that. They could possibly encircle it and there has been a lot of noise until the last two or three hours this afternoon, really, about diplomacy, about maybe the room for negotiation here. The u. S. Always pushing a plan that essentially would have a ceasefire and a transitional government. Pretty clear, though, that the afghan president ashrafgani wasnt keen on that plan. 3,000 u. S. Troops piling into the international airport In Kabul any time from now, frankly, that will possibly buy a little bit of time In Kabul. They will bring a bit of Security Blanket with them around some of the key buildings inside of there to get their own people out, really, remarkable they send in 3,000 after their withdrawal only took out 2,500, but also too, the mammoth and exhausting task of pulling out afghans who may be eligible for a special visa program. This has happened so fast. A week ago, we were talking about the First Provincial Capital Falling and how remarkable that feat had been by a taliban normally thought to only be able to operate in the rural areas of afghanistan. Now the question is how Night Kabul come under their influence. All sorts of talk about diplomacy at the moment, but we simply have to wait and see what comes out when the chips go down. Victor . Phil, i want to give people a reminder of what president biden said about the potential for what we are now seeing in afghanistan. This is july 8th, five weeks ago. You have the afghan troops have 300,000 wellequipped, as well equipped as any army in the world, and an Air Force against something like 75,000 taliban. It is not inevitable. The jury is still out. But the likelihood theres going to be the Taliban Overrunning Everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. They are almost there. The White House now in damage control, understandably. Any sense, any sense of a shift in strategy . Reporter you know, for as rapid as this situation has been over the course of the last several days, as fluid as so many things have been, the one thing that has been steady is the president s view on the decision that he made. There is no shift or new strategy thats going to be rolled out. U. S. Troops are mostly out of country already. Theyre removing a significant number of u. S. Embassy personnel and theres a very real possibility that all Embassy Personnel may need to leave and at some point soon. When you talk to White House officials, what they will acknowledge is they didnt think the taliban could move this quickly. They knew the taliban was at a level of capability they havent been at since 2001. The speed is whats catching people off guard. When you listen to what the president was saying there, while he can say the topline numbers, White House officials were very candid about the fact that 300,000 doesnt actually mean 300,000 on the ground. 1 Trillion of u. S. Assistance doesnt mean the Afghan National Security Forces are actively utilizing that equipment on a daily basis in actual war fighting. Thats always been the case. I think the speed is whats caught most people off guard so when you talk to White House officials right now, they are focused on ensuring that the personnel theyre removing gets out safely. They are focused on trying to get as many afghans who helped u. S. Personnel, those Refugees Visa as they possibly can. That is extremely difficult as more territory comes under taliban rule and the ability to reach some of those people becomes even more complicated and the third element, nick makes a great point here, the u. S. Officials have made clear for months that they want a negotiated settlement. They want some kind of powersharing agreement. That Effort Hasnt stopped. U. S. Officials have been communicating with taliban officials in doha about that. Its a possibility and one they would like to pursue. However, one officials that im talking to acknowledge is not a sure thing by any means right now and they are Conskeptical O that fact. The one thing they are resting their hopes on at this point is that the taliban does not want a massively bloody battlefield inside a city of millions, an urban combat atmosphere, and that might incentivize them to reach for some type of Agreement But Nothing is close to completion that i have heard from the u. S. Side. Nick, you mentioned that diplomatic efforts are ongoing. What is the plausibility that to avoid that bloody battle In Kabul, that there can be some agreement reached with the taliban to keep them out of that area . I think the taliban will use diplomacy as it has done for the last years to essentially advance their strategic goals on the battlefield. They may possibly, and i am literally speculating here, but they may choose to negotiate some sort of interim situation, maybe some sort of ceasefire in order to let them regroup and then focus their efforts on fashioning the kind of government In Kabul they would like to see. That is simply a possibility and its certainly, too, what i think the u. S. Has kind of played upon, but the u. S. , i think, has overlent on their belief that the taliban essentially want to be recognized internationally and not repeat the mistakes as the u. S. Said of the 90s where they were an international pariah. The taliban want aid. They want to be part of the international system. Weve had a lot of statements from the u. N. And the Eu Today simply saying if they come to force, that isnt going to happen and even the chief u. S. Negotiator on this released a statement in which he said china had in fact got on board with that sentiment. It simply remains to be seen whether or not the talks in doha can bring up anything. They have slowly dragged the agreement towards the taliban to make the taliban want to sign on the last administration and joe biden, i think, essentially saw that the line had been drawn there, and it was time to accept that the u. S. Was essentially leaving. But do i think we could possibly see some effective diplomacy that puts an end to taliban ambitions . I would be very surprised. Theyve shown themselves very capable of letting this roll. Theyve always said they have the time. Nick paton walsh, phil mattingly, stay with us, because we may need you for analysis after this pentagon briefing. Were waiting for the latest there. Lets go to the cdc now, just voted unanimously to recommend a third dose of either Pfizer Or Modernas vaccine for certain immunocompromised people. An estimated 9 Million people with immunodeficiencies are now authorized by the fda to get a third coronavirus vaccine shot. And according to a recent study by Johns Hopkins researchers, vaccinated people with weakened Immune Systems are 485 times more likely to end up in the hospital or die from covid19 compared to the general population that is vaccinated. Cnns Chief Medical Correspondent, dr. Sanjay gupta, is here now. So, sanjay, this is not for, which is a surprise to me, maybe not you, all immunocompromised people. There are some caveats here. Explain them. Yeah, so, they made the sort of distinction. They said, were looking at moderate or severely immunocompromised people. And they basically based this on the evidence of what they were seeing which is sort of twofold. One, you sort of mentioned here already, not only was there evidence that the protection, the immunity was lower in someone who had a weakened Immune System and was vaccinated but also as a result, they got sicker as well. So, 485 times more likely to end up in the hospital but i can show you what that meant for hospitalizations overall. We know that most of the people, victor, in the hospital with covid are unvaccinated. But for people who are in the hospital with breakthrough infections, a large percentage of them were also immunocompromised. So, that was, i think, what sort of got this discussion going some time ago. Sort of the why of things. The who, to your question, and we can i think we may have the graphic to show you. Sanjay, i have to interrupt you, unfortunately. Weve got to go to the pentagon now. Theres admirable John Kirby on the latest in afghanistan. What we do here. And planning for these sorts of contingencies is not unusual. In fact, its quite common. And one of the reasons why we have been able to react as quickly as we did in just the last day or so is because we had plenty of Contingency Planning in the works and in fact, a lot of it complete, because we were, and as ive said many times from the podium, watching consistently the Security Situation on the ground. So, i can give you a brief update, a few additional details since yesterday. Now, as i do this, i think you can understand that im not going to have every detail that you might want. Theres operational security thats still going to be a concern. And were going to observe that here, just like as we have throughout the entire drawdown process. But i can tell you a couple of things. First, u. S. Forces, afghanistan forward, continue to provide security at the Kabul Airport and at the embassy. These are the existing Security Elements that were already In Kabul. This comprised of Attack And Lift aviation assets, infantry, Security Personnel and some intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets that are already there at the airport. They stay there and they are still doing their jobs in terms of internal security there at the airport. The Troop Movements that we mentioned yesterday are happening as we speak. Three battalions are preparing to move from their current locations in the central Command Area of responsibility to kabul. And they consist of a marine battalion that was already prestaged in the region and has lift, sustainment, and support capabilities. Another marine Infantry Battalion from a Marine Expeditionary Unit and a u. S. Army Infantry Battalion. Now, some elements of one of the marine Infantry Battalions are already there In Kabul, just the leading element. Theyre there. The rest of their forces will continue to flow over the next couple of days, and i expect that by The End of the weekend, the bulk of the 3,000 that we talked about yesterday will be in place. Probably not all. But the bulk. From the united states, the Brigade Combat Team that we mentioned from the 82nd airborne division, that is prepared to go to kuwait as a ready Reserve Force. They are now preparing to deploy. I do not have information that suggests theyre on the way right now. But i suspect that in very short order, they will start to deploy and to arrive. Some of the enablers that we talked about yesterday, designated to support the special immigrant Visa Processing in the region. That has also begun. These are primarily medical personnel. I think i told you yesterday, its a mix, medical personnel, some military police, some electrical engineers, that kind of thing. They are preparing to go. I do not have an Indication Today that they have actually left. And again, they are not going into afghanistan. They are originally going to be sent into the region for further use as needed to support the siv process. As far as aircraft are concerned, to support the movement of Civilian Personnel, transcom is as we speak working on their plans and their Sourcing Solutions with Air Mobility Command and working it out with central command as well. To support this mission. Forces in support requirements are going to be rapidly assessed by their planners, theyre working on that, and while were not going to be able to give out a lot of detail today, again, the plans and sources for Aircraft Support and Air Lift are being worked out. Well have more to say about that when its appropriate and when we can, but i do want to stress that Air Lift will not be a limiting factor in this mission. Air lift will not be a limiting factor. And as i said yesterday, its not all going to be Military Aircraft that are used. There are the airport is still open. Commercial flights are still going in and out. And it doesnt i dont want to convey the sense that every lift of every individual is going to be done on a gray Military Aircraft, though they will be made available to support and as i said, its not going to be a limiting factor. And then finally, i just want to foot Stomp Something i said yesterday. This is a specific, narrowly focused tailored mission to help with the safe, secure movement of the reduction of Civilian Personnel in you know, Civilian Personnel In Kabul as well as to help support the acceleration of the special immigrant Visa Process by the State Department. Thats what were focused on, and as we get more information, and im able to provide it to you, i will, with the understanding that theres going to be operational Security Concerns and im not going to be able to provide every level of detail that i am sure you want. We will be as transparent with you as we can. Bob . Thank you, john. You mentioning the bulk of the three battalions will be there probably by The End of the weekend, you said. So, The End of sunday. Do you anticipate, then, that the operation would begin that day . The operation has begun, bob. I mean, the movement of forces to kabul has begun. The Military Side of it. I Cant Speak to the timing of the State Department with respect to their reduction. Okay. We wanted to make sure that we were in full support of them and we were getting on station as quickly as possible. And thats what were focused on. As for when departures will occur and how many on a daily basis, thats really my colleagues at the State Department for them to speak to can i ask a followup . Sure. Given the events of the last 24 hours with 3 or 4 additional cities falling to the taliban, and the taliban apparently moving closer to kabul, im wondering whether you how likely is it that you will be able to complete the drawdown of forces by August 31st as opposed to staying to ensure the security of the embassy afterwards . Well, obviously, were going to be watching the Security Situation, Day By day, bob. And i Cant Speak for what thats going to look like, you know, in days to come. What i can tell you is where we are now. Where we are today. And the mission that weve been assigned is to support the State Departments reduction in personnel by The End of the month. And so thats what were focused on. Thats the timeline were focused on, and if we need to adjust, either way, left or right, well do that. But were going to always be looking at the Security Conditions in the ground. Okay. Tara. Thanks, jon. With the Air Lift planning thats going on, are you planning to get make the Air Lift available for hundreds of people getting out of the country, thousands . As you know, there were thousands of people based at u. S. Embassy kabul and theres as many as 18,000 interpreters that were looking to get out so can you give us an order of magnitude of this Air Lift mission . What I Cant do is tell you how many on any given Day But Capacity is not going to be a problem. And we will be able to move thousands per day. But thats just the Air Lift capacity. That doesnt necessarily mean that youre going to end up with that every day. Its going to depend on the processing and the and how that goes. So, were what we want to be able to do is to get there fast and get there capable and be able to provide as much capacity to the State Department as we can. And our intention is to be able to move thousands per day. Okay. Separately, as weve seen the different provincial capitals fall, is the Department Of Defense surprised at how quickly it seems that the Afghan National Army has collapsed under taliban pressure . We are certainly concerned by the speed with which the taliban has been moving. And as weve said from the very beginning, this is a and it still is a moment for afghan national Security And Defense forces as well as their political leadership. No outcome has to be inevitable here. Im not going to speculate about surprise. Obviously, were watching this just like youre watching this, and seeing it happen in realtime. And its deeply concerning. Its, in fact, the deteriorating conditions are a factor a big factor in why the president has approved this mission. To help Support Our the reduction of personnel there In Kabul. So, i mean, were adjusting as best we can, given those conditions, and again, this is a this is a moment for the afghans to unite, the leadership, and in the military, no outcome has to be inevitable here. Just one last. If the taliban continue across and take kabul, what happens to the continued support the d. O. D. Had been planning to do for the Afghan National Security Forces such as like the contracted Air Support or the fuel that d. O. D. Was committing to send . Are you all starting to have conversations about at what point does that support have to be cut off to keep it from going into the hands of the taliban. Were still supporting the afghan national Security And Defense forces. Were still sparting the afghan government, the elected government In Kabul and thats what were going to be focused on doing. It would be easy to speculate about what the future of afghanistan looks like right now, but i think we want to focus on what we are doing. We are supporting the afghans in The Field where and when we can. Were still working on Contract Support for over the horizon. Were still making sure we have robust over the Horizon Counterterrorism capabilities in the region so that we cant suffer a threat from afghanistan again. And so, were we are focused on the Security Situation as we see it now, and what weve got to do, the missions weve been assigned by the commander in chief, and ill let the political situation play out. Thats really not something that were overly focused on right now. You were speaking about the over the horizon. Obviously, the u. S. Has been conducting Air Strikes regularly every day for the last few days, and you didnt stop the advances of the taliban. So, if you can not stop the taliban from over the horizon, which you are trying to do right now, how are you going to stop Al Qaeda from over the horizon . So, the over the Horizon Counterterrorism strikes and capabilities still exist and will exist going forward, and we have never said that Air Strikes are a panacea. You said, you know, we werent able to stop the taliban. We have said from the moment we started drawing down that were going to continue to support them where and when feasible with the understanding that its not always going to be feasible, and weve never argued that our Air Strikes from the air were going to turn the tide on the ground. What we have said is that the afghans have the capability to do that. And we still believe that they could make a difference on the ground. We will do what we can from the air. But they have the advantage. They have greater numbers. They have an Air Force. They have modern weaponry. Its indigenous forces that can make the difference on the ground. And thats so, our support to the afghans was really done in that vein. And again, as for counterterrorism, youve heard the secretary say himself theres not a scrap of the earth that the united states military cant hit if its needed. And when it comes to disrupting a Counterterrorism Threat that we know is emanating and is serious enough, Air Strikes can be effective in that regard. Are the troops heading into kabul going to get eminent Danger Pay for this deployment . I dont know. I can take the question, but i dont know. Jeff, voa. John, thank you very much for doing this. Youve said that the u. S. Is going to continue to conduct the Air Strikes in support of the afghan Security Forces when and where its feasible. But with the focus now on the battalions that are heading into kabul to secure the embassy and the airport and facilitate getting the civilians out, how much is that going to lessen the availability of Air Strikes for afghan Security Forces . And also, following up on what sylvia asked, given that u. S. Air strikes didnt seem to deter the taliban in other areas, how much concern is there that they wont be scared of potential u. S. Air strikes if they decide to move On Kabul and u. S. Assets or personnel there . Im not going to speculate about moving On Kabul and i have never talked about future operations, and im not going to start doing that today, jeff. But to your other question, the kinds of support that we are providing and able to provide afghan national Security And Defense forces in The Field, those authorities still exist. Those capabilities still exist. And general mckenzie can use those capabilities to the degree that he sees most fit. That is a separate and distinct set of missions than what we are have now been ordered to do in terms of helping with our State Department colleagues reducing the size of their footprint In Kabul. So, those are two separate sets of authorities and capabilities, and i think thats about where ill leave it. Yeah, court. You said a couple of times that youre concerned with the speed with which the taliban has moved but i think the Big Question is not the concern about the speed but surprise. So, again, i have to ask, is the is the military, the pentagon or the Administration Or Anyone surprised by how fast the taliban has been able to move across the country . Courtney, we saw the Taliban Making Advances even before the biden administration came into office. We saw the Taliban Making Advances at the District Level before the president made his decision. But not like were seeing now. This is a different Ball Game in the last week or so. These specific gains, taking these major cities like kandahar, herat, i mean, has that caught the military off guard, the speed with which theyve been able to do it . We have been watching this from a very early period right after the president gave us the order to draw down. We certainly have been watching what the taliban is doing. We have noted, and we have noted with great concern, the speed with which they have been moving and the lack of resistance that they have faced and we have been nothing but honest about that. And i think ill leave it there. What about the lack of resistance they may face In Kabul . Is there a concern that the afghan military will not fight for kabul . Thats a question for afghan leadership to determine for themselves. Obviously, as ive said from the beginning, we want to see the will and the political leadership, the military leadership thats required in The Field. We still want to see that. And we hope to see that. But whether it happens or not, whether it pans out or not, thats really for the afghans to decide. Youve said here many times that Afghanistan Cannot and will not become a base from which to launch attacks against the u. S. Homeland or its allies. Does the speed of the taliban advance shake your confidence in that statement . No. Steve from military. Com. Thanks for doing this. Are any additional Air Force squadrons or aircraft heading to the Middle East for this . And then could you also speak to any of the Rules Of Engagement troops on the ground will have . I have no nothing to announce or speak to with respect to additional Air Force assets. Ive told you ive given you pretty much the laydown of exactly what were sending to support this movement. That said, i also said, and in fact, in my opening statement, that there will be Air Lift provided. Clearly theres going to be an Air Force role here with respect to Air Lift, but in terms of combat aircraft, i know of no such moves to do that and as ive said, ive laid out for you twice what the movements would be and im not going to speak about Rules Of Engagement. We never do that from the podium. David. You said you wont speculate about movements On Kabul, but how would you describe the situation now . Is kabul under threat . Is kabul isolated . What is it . Right now, without getting into a Battlefield Assessment every day, i dont want to do that, but kabul is not, right now, in an imminent threat environment. But clearly, david, if you just look at what the talibans been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate kabul. Now, what they want to do if they achieve that isolation, i think only they can speak to, but you can see a certain effort to isolate kabul. It is not unlike the Way Theyve operated in other places of the country. Isolating provincial capitals and sometimes being able to force surrender without necessarily much bloodshed. Again, i Cant Speak for what their intentions are. What i can tell you is that were taking the situation seriously, and thats one of the reasons why we moved these forces or were moving these forces into kabul to assist with this particular mission because we know that time is a precious commodity here. Is it isolated now . I dont want to get into specific Intelligence Assessment on the battlefield. I just dont want to do that. But clearly, from their actions, it appears as if they are trying to get kabul isolated. Let me try it this way. The main arteries going into kabul. Again, im not going to get into a conditions on the Ground Assessment every day about avenues and lines of communication except to say, it certainly appears that the taliban is trying to isolate the city, and they have, throughout this last few weeks, youve seen it for yourself, taken over border crossings, taken over highways and major intersections to control lines of what we say what we call communication and lines of revenue and those kinds of things. I mean, i Cant Speak and i wont speak specifically to what the situation is In Kabul right now. John, many times this week, youve said the Afghan Forces have the advantage. What proof can you offer as the taliban have taken over now vast majorities of the country and have now surrounded kabul. That the taliban have moved with the speed with which they have and that the resistance that they have faced has been insufficient to stop those, to check those advances, does not mean, lucas, that the advantages arent still there. You have to use it. You have to be willing to apply it. Doesnt make any sense, john. Youre saying they have all the advantages as theyre getting crushed on the battlefield. It makes no sense to say they have the advantage. The taliban appear to have all the advantages right now. Lucas, i appreciate the effort, again. They have greater numbers. They have an Air Force. A capable Air Force, which, oh, by the way, is flying more Air Strikes than we are every day. They have modern equipment. They have organizational structure. They have the benefit of the training that we have provided them over 20 years. They have the material, the physical, the tangible advantages. Its time now to use those advantages. Is the u. S. Military prepared to evacuate all americans from kabul and help close the u. S. Embassy In Kabul if the State Department requests it . Our mission right now is to help the State Department reduce their Civilian Personnel In Kabul and to assist with their acceleration of the siv immigrant Visa Process, the special immigrant Visa Process. That is what our focus is on right now. How close is the u. S. Government to closing its embassy In Kabul . Youd have to talk to my colleagues at the State Department. They get to decide that. They have made it clear, though, that as of today, they are reducing, not eliminating, their diplomatic presence In Kabul. We are simply helping them support that reduction. And after a night of sleeping on it, are these 3,000 u. S. Troops going to kabul, is this a Combat Deployment . I didnt sleep on that question, lucas. I thought i answered it pretty well yesterday. You didnt answer it, john. John, these soldiers and marines, theyre fully kitted out. Putting on Night Vision goggles, landing In Kabul, taking positions at the airport, theyre going to a Combat Zone, are they not . Theyre certainly going into harms way, lucas, and they will is it not a Combat Zone . Lucas, they will have the right of selfdefense. They will be armed and as i said yesterday and i dont think i could have made it any more clear, if there is an attack upon our forces, our commanders have now and always have had the right and responsibility to defend themselves and any attack on our forces in afghanistan will be met swiftly with a forceful and appropriate response. And i know listen. I know you want to get into the nomenclature here. Nobodys walking away from the fact that this is potentially dangerous. In fact, i think one of the things i said at the opening of the Press Conference is im not going to provide a lot of operational detail because we know its dangerous. Were all mindful of the perilous situation in afghanistan, and the deteriorating Security Situation, lucas, and i find it a little i find it frustrating that youre trying to pin me down on a nomenclature here like were afraid to say the word combat. After 20 years of being in afghanistan, we understand what were facing right now. Were taking the risks very, very seriously. And our troops and their leaders will have all the rights and responsibilities that they need to protect themselves and their comrades. Did the Defense Secretary recommend this withdrawal of american troops from kabul . Im sorry . Did the Defense Secretary recommend the full withdrawal of u. S. Troops from kabul . Before this week, of course. Im not going to talk about the secretarys recommendations to the commander in chief. Dont you think its important for history, for the transcript, for the people watching this briefing right now, did the Defense Secretary support the full u. S. Military withdrawal from kabul . Lucas, im not now, and i havent, never will talk about the Secretarys Advice and counsel to the commander in chief. Thats totally inappropriate. The president has made his decision, and we are executing that decision. He has also made additional decisions such as helping the State Department reduce their personnel and were going to support that too. Some veterans think that the americans should just pull everybody out of kabul. The u. S. Government should pull all americans out of kabul and then just level the embassy. What do you think about that . I think that one of the great things about this country is that people are free to express their opinions about anything that they want. What im here to do, lucas, my job, is to articulate the policies that were executing and the way in which were executing them and thats what my focus is today, to tell you what weve been ordered to do. Is it time just to pull all americans out right now and destroy the embassy . Lucas, we are focused on helping the State Department reduce their footprint In Kabul. Thats what were focused on and thats what were going to be doing. Louis. Id like to follow up on lucass fourth question. As opposed to the 14th . Yes. You talked about how the troops there have the inherent right of selfdefense. That was going to be my question. Theres a tactical purpose for sending these troops there, which youve described in very general terms. I know you dont want to get into specifics. But is there a secondary a secondary effect that youre having by sending these troops there into kabul, which is sending a message to the taliban, these troops are here, dont attack us, were here to carry out our mission, and at the same time, saying, we are here to support the government of kabul, dont attack kabul. Are you suggesting theres a that theres a contradiction there . No, no. Im trying to ask, is there a Messaging Intention as well by sending these troops there as well . I understand the primary mission there is to do this, protect the forces, you know, protect the americans and the afghan interpreters and their families as they leave, but at the same time, is there a secondary effect that youre gaining by sending these troops there, which is to message the taliban, dont attack us while were doing this . The main purpose for these troops is to conduct this particular mission, and as i said yesterday, the secretary made his decisions based on the based on prudence, to make sure that you have what you need and that you have reserve if you need reserves because we dont know exactly how the situations going to unfold. And its not he didnt choose these units or this approach to send a message. He chose these units and this approach to accomplish a mission, and to make sure that he had enough Capability And Capacity to do it safely and in an orderly fashion. That said, and i have said this now three or four times, if these forces are attacked and threatened, we have the ability, the right of selfdefense, and we will respond in a forceful and appropriate way. And just one quick followup. Weve talked about the troops from the 82nd airborne going into kuwait that could be on standby if needed. Is their mission going to be, if they are needed, exactly like the ones from the 3,000 that will be arriving by The End of this weekend or there would be something different . Im sorry, say that again. No problem. The brigade, the bct headed to kuwait, should they be called upon, are they going to be doing exactly what the 3,000 the three battalions arriving In Kabul by The End of the weekend . Or is there some thinking they might do Something Else . Theyre a ready Reserve Force that we would have available to us should they be needed for any number of security missions, and again, i couldnt begin to speculate right now what those missions would look like. But they are they will have capabilities that are commensurate with the Infantry Battalions that are going to the international airport over the course of the next few days. Thank you. Thank you. Question is, pakistan is blaming now, again, u. S. For the crisis in afghanistan and also Prime Minister of pakistan, he already knows the taliban government In Kabul. And finally, if any country in the region, including india, ask u. S. Help in this mission of evacuation . I dont know of any other nations involved in this. I mean, these are sovereign decisions that Nation States have to make. As i said yesterday, should we be asked to support any movement by our allies and partners, we can do that. And we will do that. I dont know of any, but i dont know of any such requests or such requirements. And look, just broadly speaking, what we said before, any of afghanistans neighboring nations, any nations in the international community that believe they have or want to have a stake in the future of afghanistan, we simply would urge them to act in ways that helps lead to those kinds of better outcomes for the afghan people and to help us continue to pursue a negotiated political settlement. Dan. Thank you, john. You said yesterday that you thought this was the right time for this mission. Lawmakers from both parties, lots of nonprofits, lots of afghans, would say that the right time for this mission with sivs was actually back in may or june. Can you square those two things . Why did it take so long . Thank you. We were we said for quite some time, dan, that we know we have a moral obligation to help those who helped us and that we were ready, willing, and able to support efforts to move special immigrants, people applying for Special Immigrants Visa out of the country and to locations, and we have met that obligation. It is a process that, as you know, does not reside here at the defense department. And a process that has requirements. So, what i can tell you is from a d. O. D. Perspective, its not something we ever lost sight of. It wasnt an obligation we just all of a sudden forgot and then came around to. And as i said at the outset, weve planned for a lot of contingencies and this was certainly one of them. Tony . Hi, john. I had a couple questions. You said d. O. D. Is a planning organization. Has Set Com presented to the secretary or the joint staff a Contingency Plan to reintroduce u. S. Combat troops a la what we did in 2014 in iraq if the White House requests it . Has that such a plan been crafted . That we are a planning organization, tony, is true, whats also true is we dont talk about every single plan on the books. Our focus right now, tony, and the plans that we are executing are to meet the president s Drawdown Requirement by The End of this month, not and to assist in the drawdown of State Department personnel also by The End of the month. And im not going to speculate about what things look like going forward. And again, i would remind tony that this mission is narrowly focused mission to support the State Department at this particular time. I have a second question. Youve heard the narrative and the questions from reporters and everybody else about, is this a repeat of the Fall Of Saigon . Youre not a historian, but i know that the secretary, a number of you guys are thinking, how do you answer that question . Can you give a sense of where the analogy is apt and where its a very bogus, fallacious analogy to equate whats going on now with the potential Fall Of Saigon. What i can tell you is were not focused on the history of the vietnam war. Were just not. Were focused on meeting the requirements that we have today. Thats where our Head Space is. Certainly, weve seen the punditry and the commentary. I think its best to leave that to historians. What were focused on is making sure that we meet our commitments to our State Department colleagues and that we continue to meet our commitments while we have the authorities and the capabilities to our afghan partners on the ground. Is the best iraq ten years ago . Mike, go ahead. Whats the whats it going to say for a 20year War In Afghanistan if it ends with the Taliban Rolling Into Kabul in u. S. Made humvees and turning over weapons our allies gave them. I cant see the future. And what i can tell you is our troops who deployed to afghanistan after 9 11 did what they were sent there to do, which is to prevent afghanistan from being a Safe Haven for Terrorist Attacks upon the homeland. And to severely degrade the capabilities of groups like Al Qaeda. In the process of that effort, a lot of progress was made in afghanistan. Progress which we obviously dont want to see put at greater risk. Going forward, were going to do a couple of things. Were going to make sure that a terrorist Threat Cant emanate from afghanistan again by maintaining robust over the Horizon Counterterrorism capabilities in the region and were going to continue to Support Our afghan partners, bilaterally, through maintenance support, through financial support, and were going to continue to want to see a stable, secure afghanistan. The other thing i would say is that we want to continue to see that theres a negotiated political settlement here for governance going forward, so thats what our focus is on right now. Do you really think the taliban is interested in negotiating . They havent they seem not interested in that. I mean, do you really think that they are legitimate Negotiating Partners . I think thats a question for taliban leaders to speak to. They have a team in doha. They have participated in the past in negotiations. Now, whether theyre still interested in that or not, i think its for them to speak to. We are still interested in seeing that outcome. And so should the rest of the international community. One followup on mikes question real quick. Yeah, go ahead. On the weapons. Will the u. S. Allow if it looks like the advanced Aircraft Weve provided Afghan Forces over the years, will the u. S. Allow those aircraft to fall into taliban hands or are there plans under way to make sure that doesnt happen. I think you can understand why im not going to speculate about that. There is an afghan Air Force in place. They are flying missions every day. We have made commitments to help improve their capabilities. Those commitments remain in place, including Refurbishing Black Hawke helicopters, helping them finance the refurbishment of some of their mi17s, and then the provision of super tecanos. Im not going to speculate about the destruction of personnel im sorry, the destruction of property going forward. We are going to continue to stay focused on making sure they have the capabilities to use in The Field. Would you say that the u. S. Will not allow those aircraft we are always worried about u. S. Equipment that could fall into an adversarys hands, and Thats Something we never lose focus on. And what actions we might take to prevent that or to forestall it, i just dont believe and wont speculate about today. Paul . Politico. I guess pauls not there. Jeff. Thank you. I just wanted to clarify something you had said earlier. You said with the Air Lift, the military will be able to move thousands of people per day. Were you speaking specifically about afghans . So, should i say, John Kirby said the military will have the ability to move thousands of afghans and their families per day . Jeff, i think you can surmise that when i say thousands of people, that would include a population of afghans, of course, that are being processed through the special immigrant visa program, including their families. Okay. Thats about it for today. Thank you. Thank you very much. Were all set. Were all set. All right, admiral John Kirby there at the pentagon. Well get to the news made there in just a moment, but i want to go first to kylie atwood, she has Breaking News. Whats the new reporting . Reporter the new reporting is that the u. S. Embassy In Kabul is instructing their diplomats to get rid of any sensitive materials. This is from a Management Notice that was sent to those personnel on the ground. What they are telling them to do is get rid of anything thats sensitive. Of course, thats classified material. Theyre also telling them to get rid of anything that could be misused in propaganda efforts, so theyre noting things like an american Flag Or Something that has the stamp of the u. S. Embassy on it. Now, what the embassy is going to be doing is providing Material Support for those diplomats, for those personnel at the embassy to get rid of this material. That includes things like burn bins. What this tells us right now is that this embassy is in a place where they are preparing for the worst situation. You dont get rid of classified materials and anything including an american flag unless you are expecting the possibility that you really will have to evacuate that embassy. Now, that is not the situation right now, as we heard from the pentagon spokesperson. Right now, there are u. S. Troops on the way to afghanistan to help get out some of the u. S. Personnel who have been at the embassy. Theres no decision yet to evacuate that embassy but right now, those preparations are under way in a very real way. All right, kylie, stay with us. I want to bring back now nick paton walsh, also cnn global Affairs Analyst kimberly. Nick, let me start with you, with the Breaking News from kylie and i want you to reconcile that with what we heard from Admiral Kirby there when he says that kabul right now is not in imminent threat environment. However, the Embassy Staff is being told to destroy sensitive material. Is there direct contra distraction there . Yes, John Kirby, a Communication Professional has long been able to square the sad reality off and on the ground with the message that the u. S. Government want to give out. We saw a bit of that today as well. While we gave us the news that we have seen, apparently, or we know now that the first marines have landed, he also went on to remind everybody of the strength of the afghan Security Forces, their numbers of 300,000, the resources they have, the fact that he says theyre doing more Air Strikes than the americans are at the moment and thats probably true, given the reduction in u. S. Air power so still pushing a message that essentially theres something in the afghan Security Forces that may be able to fight back and resist. Quite how that comes to fruition, we simply dont know at this stage. Yes, the frphrase, you can pars that as much as youd like but its essentially saying that Kabul Isnt immediately under siege at the moment and thats true. But what she is reporting, i think, is the acceptance of the inevitable, most likely by the u. S. Embassy. Its an enormous compound. They simply dont want to have enough people there necessarily to protect it. So, clearing up the because owe know youre going to have to pull back towards the airport. Thats the sensible planning as well as sending 3,000 marines to be sure youre secure enough. Its cliear on the ground that the next two to three weeks are about slowly reducing their presence and leaving, maybe with a skeletal staff left behind. For now the pentagon, they still want to project a message theres something left mr. The afghan Security Forces despite the remarkable week we have seen. Including the second and third largest city falling within just a week. Startling. He was asked if there was a fear that kabul would fall to the taliban, he said this is a moment for the afghan people. For the afghan government, the Afghan Forces to step up to unite. How realistic is that considering what we know are the challenges of the Afghan Forces, the Desertion Rate as well and what we have seen over the last week . Entirely unrealistic considering the momentum of the taliban on the ground and how the afghan people are reacting to it. Its as if the u. S. Administration neglected the way the troops on the Ground Respect american Air Power and when they dont have it to rely on, they dont count on their own people. They dont have trust in their leadership to come through with logistics. The other thing is the way the taliban has been handling its offensive. In towns where theyve been negotiated peacefully, the troops have been released and allowed to Sur Rrender and live. In towns that have fought and places where the army has fought hard, all the soldiers have been captured, slaughtered, tortured. Thoeds those are the reports that are coming out. They could just starve the city out. Yeah. Kylie, theres a rhetorical difference between what we heard yesterday from Admiral Kirby and today. Yesterday he would not speculate about the possibility that u. S. Forces would have to stay beyond August 31st. He just ended any questions there. Thats the deadline for Withdrawal Set by the administration. Today he said, well adjust if we need. I think its worth reading into that. The u. S. Is fully aware that the taliban is encroaching On Kabul and although the u. S. Troops going with a primary mission of helping these american diplomats get home, they are putting themselves into situation that could grow deadly. There could be Air Fire there and they are in a position they could have to defend themselves. John kirby did say that. They have the right to selfdefend. That means the situation could change very quickly. Our reporting is that the taliban is trying to lock In Kabul. They are growing around them, growing around kabul rapidly. They are not necessarily going to try and over run kabul. We dont know what their plans are. Sending u. S. Troops there could have to change. We also know the big headline from that briefing is that u. S. Forces are in route, as we speak. Thank you. 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Plus, 0 interest for 36 months. Ends monday. Coming up, im victor blackwell. The cdc voted to recommend a Booster Shot of the Covid19 Vaccine for certain people who are immuno compromised. The group were talking about, Organ Transplant patients. People with certain cancers. Others taking certain medications. The recommendation is not for people with some chronic conditions like Heart Disease or diabetes. Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent is here. Did they explain why not all all immuno compromised people. Just the group were discussing. They did describe this to some extent. Its still confusing. T theyre looking at moderate or severe immuno compromised people. People who may be vulnerable because of chronic conditions. This is really talking about people who because of their weakened Immune Systems, the vaccine did not generate an immune response in the first place. Keep in mind, this population of people were talking about, the ones we just listed on that graphic there, if they are vaccinated compared to the general population who is vaccinated