For only the third time in history, the Pentagon Orders Airlines to Assist in a Military Operation. Airlines began positioning aircraft to comply with a Pentagon order, announced Sunday morning under a rarely invoked law, which compelled six airlines to contribute 18 planes to help with the evacuation. The first flights carrying evacuees were expected Monday. Officials said the commercial aircraft wouldn’t fly in and out of Kabul but would ferry evacuees to the U.S. from bases in Germany, Qatar and Bahrain to ease transport bottlenecks. The airlift is now entering a critical phase, ramping up after days of mayhem at ... (full story)