Bagram Airfield
Bagram Airfield or BAF also known as Bagram Air Base is the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. It is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It has a dual runway capable of handling any size military aircraft, including Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy and Antonov An-225. Bagram Air Base is occupied by the Afghan Armed Forces and the US-led Resolute Support Mission.
Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
On August 30, 2017 the Pentagon disclosed that there were more troops in Afghanistan than previously acknowledged. The Pentagon said previously that there were 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, but in reality the actual "total force" number was closer to 11,000. The lower number was based on misleading accounting measures and red tape. The new count used by the United States Department of Defense includes covert as well as temporary units. The Washington Post reported on August 30, 2017 that the additional U.S. forces for Afghanistan will likely include paratroopers as well as small Marine artillery detachments, composed of about 100 or so troops per unit, which will be spread around the country to fill in gaps in air support. The report by the Washington Post also reported that more air support — in the form of more F-16 fighters, A-10 ground attack aircraft and additional B-52 bomber support, or a combination of all three - will likely be used in Afghanistan. The newspaper also stated: "The additional U.S. forces will allow Americans to advise Afghan troops in more locations and closer to the fighting, U.S. officials in Kabul said [ ... ]. With more units farther away from the country's biggest bases, additional air support and artillery will be needed to cover those forces." And the New York Times added that: "the American military will be able to advise select Afghan brigades in the field instead of trying to mentor them from more distant headquarters. They can step up the effort to train special operations forces and, thus, substantially increase the number of Afghan commandos. This will allow American war commanders and service members to call in air and artillery strikes on behalf of more Afghan units."