War on the Rocks

Managing Chaos: The 2021 Kabul Airlift

Jun 21, 2023

Capt. Adam Solomon, an airfield operations flight commander, discusses the Kabul airlift, including challenges in coordinating flight operations, logistical hurdles, and the tragic killing of 13 Marines. The conversation also explores the chaotic conditions, shared use of Kabul International Airport, establishing security, Taliban's role, and shots fired at C-17s.

20:24

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Episode guests

Capt. Adam Solomon

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Implementing an air flow plan and a Google Doc system improved coordination and efficiency of the Kabul airlift.

Engaging with the Taliban and extending airspace control were necessary measures to ensure the safety of the evacuation from Afghanistan.

Deep dives

Key Point 1: Consolidation of operations and improved coordination

The podcast episode features an interview with Adam A.I. Sullivan, an airfield operations flight commander who was involved in overseeing the withdrawal from Kabul, Afghanistan. Sullivan explains that before his involvement, the evacuation efforts were decentralized and lacked efficiency. His role was to bring cohesion to the process and streamline operations. By proposing an air flow plan and implementing a Google Doc system to coordinate arrivals, departures, parking, and the number of refugees per aircraft, Sullivan and his team were able to improve coordination and make the evacuation more efficient.

Introduction

2min

Managing Kabul Airport

6min

Chaos and Desperation during the Kabul Airlift

2min

Establishing Security and Managing the Influx of Aircrafts

8min

Taliban's Role and Flight Operations in Kabul Airlift

2min

On this special edition podcast, listeners will get to hear the first 20 minutes of Unspent Rounds, a members-only War on the Rocks podcast that features interesting conversations with interesting people. On this episode, Aaron Stein spoke with Capt. Adam "AI" Solomon, an airfield operations flight commander. Adam was in charge of airfield operations and oversaw almost all aspects of flight operations during the evacuation from Kabul. The conversation explored the withdrawal, how it all went down, how challenging it was to coordinate flight operations, how Adam dealt with logistical challenges when evacuating people from the country, and the tragic killing of 13 Marines guarding the airport.

To listen to the show in its entirety, and to other episodes of Unspent Rounds, sign up to become a War on the Rocks member.

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War on the Rocks

Managing Chaos: The 2021 Kabul Airlift

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Key Point 1: Consolidation of operations and improved coordination

Key Point 2: Security concerns and chaotic circumstances

Key Point 3: Engagement with the Taliban and expanded airspace control

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts