Task Force Argo is a U.S. task force consisting of a volunteer group of American veterans and citizens to evacuate U.S. citizens and families as well as Afghan allies and their families, following
Fall of Kabul. As of January 19, 2022, the group has evacuated 2,216 refugees.
History
Task Force Argo was founded by Jesse Jensen on August 16, 2021. This effort culminated into volunteers using
Signal
A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology.
In ...
and
WhatsApp
WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta. It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages, make vo ...
to gather intelligence on the ground and coordinate pick ups and extraction efforts for individuals having trouble accessing the gates due to large crowds and Taliban checkpoints.
Task Force Argo was able to get over 300 people out before the U.S. forces departed
Kabul International Airport
Kabul International Airport () is located in the northern part of Kabul, Afghanistan.
It is one of the country's main international airports, capable of housing over a hundred military and civilian aircraft. It is currently operated by UAE-base ...
. After the departure Argo adjusted to a new charter flight strategy and partnered with several
Task Force Pineapple
Task Force Pineapple is a task force set up by a volunteer group of U.S. veterans to evacuate American citizens, as well as Afghan allies and their families, following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. As of 30 August 2021, the group had e ...
officials to charter flights out of the country for evacuees. As of January 2021, Task Force Argo has successfully evacuated 2,216 people from Afghanistan.
Leadership
Task Force Argo leadership is publicly represented by its founders, Iowa State Senator
Zach Nunn
Zachary Martin Nunn (born May 4, 1979) is an American politician and United States Air Force officer who has served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 3rd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was a member of ...
, former
JSOC Ground Force Commander (
2nd Ranger Battalion
The 2nd Ranger Battalion, currently based at Joint Base Lewis–McChord south of Seattle, Washington, United States, is one of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.
History
World War II
Formation ...
) Jesse Jensen, and Munjeet Singh, an executive in a defense industrial base.
Task Force Argo is fiscally sponsored by Special Operations Association of America.
Argo’s roster of volunteers consists of
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
personnel, active duty service members and veterans, current and former
United States Intelligence Community
The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a group of separate US federal government, U.S. federal government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work to conduct Intelligence assessment, intelligence activities which ...
and law enforcement Officers, elected officials, former special operators, intelligence analysts, military aviators, diplomats, defense industry executives, and other subject matter experts.
The volunteers continue to support Afghans by helping coordinate with Department of State initiatives, finding alternate routes, organizing medical efforts and navigating through immigration processes.
References
{{reflist
Organizations established in 2021