Filling in the Gaps

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 spearheading rescue efforts after the hard cut-off set by the Biden administration following America's withdrawal from Afghanistan—a withdrawal that has left the morale of Americans, veterans, and our foreign allies in the gutter.

Ladd expressed how veterans like himself, with skills, connections, and useful knowledge, feel a sense of duty to do something. As a result, operations by NGOs have been coordinated by highly skilled Americans who reactivated themselves for duty. The catch-22 is that their efforts aren't necessarily in allegiance with the American government. In fact, they could be considered at odds with the federal government.

Many of these operations are currently seeking diplomatic immunity. No one wants to get entangled in international law when executing foreign humanitarian aid without the protection of their own government. Ladd's organizations 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 called upon Tennessee politicians like Representative Mark Green, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Senator Bill Hagerty to support his efforts as he seeks diplomatic immunity for those involved with the Spartan Sword and Patriot Mountain operations in Afghanistan. To learn more about these operations, listen to Jason here.