National Security Leaders Available for Interview Ahead of Anniversary of Afghanistan Withdrawal
August 10, 2022
Press Release
For Immediate Release
August 10, 2022
Contact: Anna Kumar
Washington, D.C. — Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI) Leader and Afghanistan veteran Rick “Ozzie” Nelson calls on Congress to pass the recently introduced Afghan Adjustment Act in a new blog post ahead of the one-year anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Since the withdrawal, “nearly 100,000 Afghan evacuees have resettled in the United States,” Nelson writes. “They are moving into homes and educating their children in American schools. Yet they are still waiting for the United States to provide them a stable future here.
“Afghan allies have earned the opportunity to remain in the United States and obtain legal permanent resident status. Most risked their lives to assist U.S. military and diplomatic personnel in efforts to defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban. In addition to many proving their commitment on the battlefield, all have undergone a diligent vetting process, including biometric and biographic checks, prior to arrival in the United States.
“Failing to address the uncertainty these allies and evacuees face not only betrays our commitments, but also could disincentivize other potential allies from cooperating with U.S. forces in future conflicts, counter to U.S. interests and national security.”
Read the full article here.
Leaders of CNSI speak and act solely in their individual capacities, and their views should not be attributed to any organization with which they are affiliated.
About Ozzie Nelson: Rick “Ozzie” Nelson is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot with over 20 years of operational and intelligence experience, including assignments at the Office of Combating Terrorism, National Security Council staff of President George W. Bush; the National Counterterrorism Center; and the Joint Special Operations Command. He also served as Navy legislative fellow for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. After retiring from the Navy in 2009 he joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) where he served as director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism program until 2013. He currently serves as senior vice president for public sector at MicroStrategy. Read his full biography here.
Nelson and other CNSI Leaders are available to speak on the record regarding the one-year anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. If interested in speaking to a leader, please contact Anna Kumar at akumar@monumentadvocacy.com.