Filling in the Gaps
How one Tennessean is picking up where the government left off in Afghanistan
We recently spoke with Jason Ladd, a Tennessee Veteran who is the public affairs officer for Patriot Mountain and Spartan Sword, about the humanitarian aid and extraction operations they have been coordinating to help those left behind in Afghanistan. These Nashville based organizations are just two examples of private groups organizing efforts after the hard cut-off date set by the Biden administration following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. A withdrawal that has left the morale of Americans, veterans, and our foreign allies in the gutter.
Jason expressed how veterans like himself, with skills, connections, and knowledge that can be useful in helping those left behind in Afghanistan, feel a sense of duty to do something. As a result, operations by NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) have been coordinated by highly skilled Americans who - decidedly - reactivated themselves for duty. The catch-22 is that these efforts are not necessarily in allegiance with the American government. In fact, from a PR and political standpoint, they could be considered at odds with it.
Operations, such as the ones being coordinated by Spartan Sword and Patriot Mountain, are currently seeking diplomatic immunity. Noone wants to get entangled in international law when executing foriegn humanitarian aid without the protection of their own government. Organizations like these usually seek diplomatic immunity and funding from government contracts in order to function safely and effectively, but both those things seem unlikely to be granted by an American government that is actively trying to distance itself from the negative ramifications of the recent withdrawal.
Jason is currently heading to Washington D.C. and has also called upon Tennessee politicians like Representative Mark Green, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Senator Bill Hagerty as he seeks diplomatic immunity for those involved with the Spartan Sword and Patriot Mountain operations involving Afghanistan. To learn more about what these NGO operations entail, listen to Jason here.