Welcome to Episode 118 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is Jenn Noonkester, a retired senior Air Force NCO who has been helping to shepherd multiple U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, and some Afghan Christians, to safety in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal.

Jenn talks about the devastation that followed for the Afghans she is assisting when the Presidential Directive authorizing just 7,500 USRAP applicants in FY 2026 was released and included no provisions for our Afghan allies.

We talk about the individuals she is supporting, and the ways to keep assisting USRAP applicants in the face of the devastating news.About Jenn:

Jenn is a retired Air Force senior NCO who deployed several times during her career, including to Afghanistan and Iraq. Jenn left the service in the months following the Afghan government’s collapse after a 20-year career. She is now pursuing a degree and is involved in public service to assist her community, fellow evacuation volunteers, veterans, and anyone else who struggles with mental health.About the host:

Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/