Group. Good evening and welcome. I am alexa chopivsky, executive director of the womens Foreign Policy group. On behalf of our staff, and importantly our valued coorganizers as i got your name, please stand. The foundation and afghan rescue and Resettlement Program, Paul Hastings, service and honor action. And look forward to this important and timely discussion. The w fpg board, for being the initial engine of a collaboration of partners and coorganizers. The fall of kabul in 2021, 4 highly skilled soldiers, carried out military missions. The tactical platoon or ftp composed 68 afghan women trained by the us military embarked on highprofile missions against the caliban. With you. To contribute tactical strength and communication expertise, these women exercised relentpiriand unmatched strings during hardship. Theyd alongside the Cultural Support Team consisting of highly trained american female soldiers to interact with women and children during Us Special Operations. Over the first days after the fall of kabul, 41 members of the female tactical platoon were evacuated to the us. Now, following their service and sacrifice, they face a new set of challenges in this country from citizenship and economic inclusion to ensuring the survival of their families, still living in afghanistan under caliban rule. They continue working alongside their American Partners to bring the remaining 27 ftps and family members to safety. We are deeply honored to have you this evening with us as our keynote to begin the conversation a leader who is integral to supporting these brave women Freedom Fighters who served alongside our us service men and women including our green berets, navy seals and army rangers. General Joseph Joseph votel, of us central command, Us Special Operations command, joint special operations command. During his 39 years in the military, he commanded special operations and conventional military forces at every level. In afghanistan and iraq, during his extensive time in afghanistan, general joseph votel made an impact on the female afghan decisions which is steadfast leadership and power, female soldiers, both afghans and americans to succeed at all levels which in january of 2022, general joseph votel became president and ceo of Business Executives for National Security. During the afghanistan evacuation in 2021, general joseph votel advocated numerous afghan partners and their families including the female tactical platoon. His support and advocacy are major reasons why over 40 members of the female tactical platoon are safely in the United States and here with us in person this evening. Thank you for your leadership. We are so incredibly grateful to you for sharing time with us this evening. General joseph votel, the floor is yours. Good evening to every one. Thank you very much. Kind introduction, thank you very much for joining us this evening. We have a number of other special guests in the audience, thanks to all of you and welcome to members of the american Cultural Support Teams and especially our afghan female Tactical Center this evening, it is wonderful seeing you, thanks, see you again, thank you for joining us. As always we are so honored to have you with us this evening, thank you very much. I took command of the Army Ranger Regiment a few months before the events of 9 11 back in 2,000 one. Almost immediately after that we were involved in planning for Contingency Operations in afghanistan. I was honored to deploy as part of the first wave of us troops that went to afghanistan in october of 2,000 one. Over the course of my career i served multiple tours with conventional and special operations organizations across the country of afghanistan. Over 18 years of Service Since 9 11 before i retired, helped orchestrate our plan to dismantle al qaeda and other organizations that are supporting them to include the taliban and operating across the afghanistan pakistan region. Along the way, i gained great appreciation for the goodness of the Afghan People and their sincere desire for peace and stability after decades of conflict. Our operation to dismantle Terror Networks were very aggressive and required us to confront terrorist organizations where they operated which was often in villages and especially among the Afghan People. Over time we understood our ability to have the impact we wanted against these networks required a mode of operations that was unprecedented compared to all our other military experiences. This resulted in dozens of operations every day, almost exclusively conducted at night. As we came to appreciate this was an effective military approach to fighting terrorism it also brought undesirable impacts for the Afghan People, entry into their private homes. Exposure to the hazards of combat, tactical mistakes, segregation of families during operations, and violent extremes organizations imposing their will on peaceful afghans who seem to be actively or passively supporting american and nato operations. We work very hard to reduce these impacts using technology, keep people safe, information approaches to inform people and eventually altering our tactics on the ground. One of the impacts we are most keen to mitigate was the effect of our operations on women and children who are often on the objectives where we were operating. Our focus was always on safeguarding afghan civilians but we recognize there could be some practical military advantages to this approach as well. Once this need was identified, our system swung into Rapid Response acting on the direction of the then Us Special Operations command commanding general, admiral eric olson, we undertook a rapid effort to identify, recruit and train female officers and noncommissioned officers from all of the Us Military Services but predominantly the army, to serve as Cultural Support Team members. Strike forces, to be on the objectives with them and use their skills to not only safeguard women and children, but where appropriate, gather information to support our military mission. The training was regress and comprehensive. Rigorous and comprehensive. They were required to meet every standard required of male counterparts on the strike including carrying heavy loads and when necessary employing their weapons to defend themselves and their fellow special operators. The program was an immediate success. And when combined with modified tactics and other approaches, helped to further minimize but, unfortunately, not completely eliminate civilian casualties. Information gathered by our Cultural Support Team members from family members often aided our tactical operations, and a personally witnessed on the number of occasions while the company our strike forces, they enabled as with often heard our ability to talk to the other 50 of the population, and i personally witnessed on an objective one evening in afghan woman after talking to one of her Cultural Team members pointing directly to her husband say, thats the man you want right there. Very kind of the form of righteous justice for her, im sure. Afghan women were also very surprised to see other american women on the objectives with them, and this had a huge impact on them and in a very interesting way provided an example of empowerment to them. This approach is not without risk, and several of our Cultural Support Team members were killed and wounded in combat operations. Their stories are well told and excellent book ashleys war by my friend gail lindeman and, of course,hl we see the examples he at the pictures of ashley white and Jennifer Marino here as well astu her afghan counterpart. But overall, the program was so successful that we continued to develop, that as we continued to develop and expand the mail Afghan Special operations units, we encouraged and the afghan leadershipne listened then to create an afghan version of Cultural Support Teams, known as the female tactical platoon who would especially serve with Afghan SpecialOperations Forces but especially the afghan units. As you can imagine the introduction of this approach in a culture that held women to a very particular ball was a challenge, but one that was overcome largely through the perseverance and discipline and professional excellence of not only theed afghan women i sighed to the female tactical platoon, but also to the professionalism of the u. S. Cultural support team members who trained and a leadersthem, and and the afghan army who not only believed in the program but inherently appreciated that this was the right approach. Their impact was legend. Increased effectiveness come safeguarding afghan civilians and breaking of cultural barriers. The female tactical platoon serve as a poignant example of the positive leading role that women could and were already playing in modern Afghan Society. For me the example of the Cultural Support Teams and the female tactical platoon were a significant factor in my rectum at 102015 recommendation to then secretary of Defense Ash Carter to open up all combat specialties to female service members. And to doing that we talked frequently with our cst partners, and i can tell you they were the most influential factor in my recommendations to the secretary of defense. As if the example of courage and bravery in combat was not enough, this Extraordinary Group of american and afghan women saved their greatest lesson for when the going was most difficult during the evacuation of kabul nearly two years ago, next month. In a a lifetime of service, mosy in combat, around combat troops, i was never more inspired than by the efforts led by american women both military and civilian to successfully evacuate their afghan counterparts under the most arduous and dangerous conditions. And of the sheer bravery and courage of the female tactical platoon members to get themselves and some of their family members out. Americans have no reasonable frame of reference for the fear absorbed and the tenacity demonstrated during that evacuation. We can never forget those who were lost or gave so much for the freedom, and we must tonight, and on the upcoming second anniversary of this evacuation, we dedicate ourselves to helping them and their families. Their sacrificess cannot be, cannot have been made in vain. We have no reasonable recourse but to do the right thing. Today, afghanistan is the humanitarian political crisis that demands international attention. The taliban believes that it is doing the will of god, purifying Afghan Society to create a perfect islamic emirate. The combination of these taliban purification efforts along with education, poverty and extremism is a toxic combination that is not good for the Afghan People or the region. The rollback in human rights and Democratic Values is eye watering. Women and girls have now officially been o denied the opportunity for education. The taliban has issued over 60 reducing space for women in Afghan Society, including most recently ordering the shutdown of hair salons across the country. Denying an important cultural opportunity for women to gather among themselves and talk outside of their homes. Females who previously served as military or Civil Servants are being deliberately targeted your over all, freedom of expression and freedom of the press is severely restricted, it even existed. Civil society is all but nonexistent. Ethnic exclusion is widespread. Minorities, not just women alike others across the country, are being persecuted. He child a spike in marriage and child labor. We cannot afford to turn our eyes away from the situation in afghanistan today. The fact is that the diminishment of human rights and Democratic Values in afghanistan is a National Security threat for the United States, our partners in the region, and, in fact, all of our friends around the world. And if you dont believe me, you just need to travel less than two miles from this location to visit the pentagon 9 11 memorial, to be reminded once again of the cost of taking our eye off of the threats to our citizens and to our friends into our interests. There are things that we can, that can and must be done. We must unabashedly draw attention to the deteriorating situation in afghanistan. Accountability begins into court of public opinion. We mustwa clarify pathways and properly staff and support the visa process to ensure those who helped us are, in fact, served quickly and effectively. And we should prioritize our females, our partners and the female tactical platoon and their families for this process. We must support nongovernment organizations and government elements including from the United Nations who are working to relieve the humanitarian crisis in afghanistan. We must supportou organizations like Freedom House and others that work to support human rights defenders, we must pursue diplomatic process that holds the taliban accountable and has as its goal to peacefully restore Democratic Values and human rights for all citizens of afghanistan. We must confront the abuses that we see in afghanistan. We must support our friends and partners. We must honor those who stepped up and did their duty. We must aspire to the example that is been set for us by the brave women of the afghan tactical platoon. Putting country and family first, being willing to put skin in the game, and being willing to accept the resilience to see it through. Im very proud of all of our afghan female female tacn members and the culture support. I think the reps at the very best in all of us. Thank you for the opportunity to see the end of afford to the rest of our time. [applause] thank you, general votel, as always. What an honor to be representing Penfed Credit Union. The penfed,ident of ceo of the Penfed Foundation also the presidency of the Penfed Credit Union. I think what to represent tonight on behalf of the credit union and the foundation is a commitment to service. As a former military officer i learned at a young age come out of west point what it meant to train menes and women to go into harms way oneh behalf of a nation. Na and they learned after graduate school during my time in the pentagon how we can never forget the men and women we ask to go into harms way h to fight on behalf of our nation. So we are here tonight because of the Penfed Foundation, we dont just thank veterans for their service, we demonstrate that through our actions. Twoou years ago as general votel said during the tumultuous pullout of american troops from afghanistan we knew our afghanistan allies were in danger. The women you are about to meet are just a few of the courageous afghans who risked their lives to serve alongside our u. S. Troops. These women, numbers of female tactical platoon, personally and directly recruited and trained by an elite group of American Service women known as a Cultural Support Team. These american heroes exemplify bravery and loyalty. About ten members of the Cultural Support Team worked relentlessly around the clock to evacuate your sisters when we evacuated kabul. Amidst the chaos at the airport they succeeded in bringing 43 afghan women and immediate family members to the United States. I cant think my bored enough for their support. [applause] thank my board enough. I cannot thank my board of directors enough for their support to provide the funding and our donors that provided the funding to allow us to take perfect care of these women who deserve to be taken perfect care of. For two years these families have faced tremendous hardship, grieving the loss of the love once they had to leave behind while adapting to a new environment at a new life here in america. Put yourself in their shoes. Drastically middle of the night, out of their country, here to learn a new language trying to secure employment and move forward with their lives. Many of them have their Young Children here with them. Our foundation is honored to have played a small part in supporting the families but the reason were here tonight is the struggle is not over. Only 11 of the 43 female tactical platoon members have been granted asylum. And that is just not right. The rest remain in limbo, uncertain of what thee future holds for them and their families. Afghan rescue and Resettlement Program is aimed to provide them with somee stability during ths extreme a challenging time. The Foundation Proud<