FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep. Green, Army Veteran, Fights for K2 Veterans with New Inquiry to DOD IG
Read the exclusive from Jonathan Draeger at RealClearDefense
WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Mark Green, a veteran of the War on Terror, continued his fight to bring justice to Karshi-Khanabad (K2) veterans with a new letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins.
Rep. Green said, "It’s been twenty-four years since the first wave of troops set foot on the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (K2) in Uzbekistan during the early years of the War on Terror. I’m asking DOD Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins for answers on how the DOD of more than two decades ago allowed American servicemembers to occupy a base that was filled with known toxins—including yellowcake uranium—and why troops continued to stay at the base despite being told about the presence of high radiation levels and toxins. K2 veterans are sick, and some have died, waiting for the DOD and VA to recognize service at K2 and toxic exposure-related illnesses. They need full access to service-connected care at the VA. A failure of this magnitude can never happen again. Our country makes a solemn promise to our servicemembers that when they return home, we’ll take care of them and their families. K2 veterans have been failed time and time again by the very people who should have protected them from toxins, given them healthcare, and recognition of their suffering."
Read excerpts of the letter to Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins:
“In 2020, the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security confirmed that the 15,000 U.S. servicemembers deployed to K2 Air Base between 2001 and 2005 were exposed to multiple cancer-causing toxic chemicals and radiological hazards, including petrochemicals, volatile organic compounds, burn pits, and elevated levels of tetrachloroethylene, as well as radiological hazards such as depleted uranium. Five years later, many of these veterans are still waiting to get their claims covered.
That is why we are asking the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General to conduct an investigation into the decision making process of using K2 as a base of operations for the invasion of Afghanistan between 2001-2005. In your investigation, please answer the following queries in addition to anything else you find of note. We request that you make the results of this investigation available to the American public and present it to Congress no later than December 31, 2025.”
Among many questions, Rep. Green asks,
“Why were servicemembers at Camp Stronghold Freedom allowed to continue operations despite reports of radiation and toxic chemicals on page 2 of the 2001 Final Environmental Site Characterization and Operational Health Risk Assessment and page 4 of the 2004 Visual Inspection of Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Airbase, Karshi, Uzbekistan?
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Is there a record of anyone at the Pentagon officially objecting to the use of Camp Stronghold Freedom as the staging ground for operations into Afghanistan?
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If so, what were their reasons and what was the response from the president?
Once the Pentagon obtained either the 2001 or 2004 Health and Safety Assessments on K2, why did the then leaders in the Pentagon believe K2 was still safe for servicemembers to use as the staging ground for operations into Afghanistan?
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Were the Health and Safety Assessments made available to the officers who formed the plan to use K2 as a staging ground for special operations into Afghanistan? Were they made available to civilian employees supporting operations relating to K2?
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Why were these health and safety assessments immediately classified?
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Why weren’t these documents declassified prior to former Chairman Stephen Lynch’s request to have them declassified?
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Did the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have access to these documents prior to their declassification? If not, why didn’t the DOD allow the VA to have access to these documents in order to make informed decisions about service-related illnesses at K2?
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Was information regarding the toxic history of K2 Air Base prior to its use in 2001 also classified?
Read the letter here.
Background:
Between 2001 and 2005, the United States Army and Air Force used Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (also known as K2 or Camp Stronghold Freedom) as a base of operations and launch point during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. During this period, many servicemembers kept private records of the hazardous conditions of the base, while others have come before Congress to testify on these conditions. Years later, countless veterans have reported cases of cancer and other deadly health conditions following their service at K2. However, for years, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has denied care to many of these veterans. Some of them have already lost their lives. In 2024, CBS News and Catherine Herridge obtained military records that dive deeper into the hazards at K2 regarding radiation readings. Among those hazards include refined uranium known as yellowcake. Many survivors remember seeing yellowcake uranium on base. According to CBS’ reporting, more than 200 female K2 veterans have come forward citing reproductive issues that range from cervical and uterine cancers, miscarriages, and chronic pain—including endometriosis. Following this groundbreaking reporting, the Trump administration endeavored to make things right. On his last day in the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, modeled after Rep. Green’s bipartisan K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020. The executive order requested that the Secretary of Defense recognize Uzbekistan as a combat zone for purposes of medical care and mandated a comprehensive study of any health consequences related to toxic exposure at the base. As far as Congress is aware, this promised study has yet to be completed; despite claiming it would only take 12-18 months.
Rep. Green’s Fight for K2 Veterans:
Read about Rep. Green’s letters urging Secretaries Hegseth and Collins to fulfill President Trump’s executive order on K2 veterans from Catherine Herridge here and from Morgan Phillips in Fox News here. Read Rep. Green’s letter urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to complete a study on the toxic exposure of Karshi-Khanabad (K2) veterans during the War on Terror as mandated by his amendment in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) after the Biden administration neglected to do so for four years. Read Catherine Herridge’s exclusive here.
Legislative Actions:
Read about the K2 Veterans Total Coverage Act of 2025 here, 2024 version of the bill here, and Catherine Herridge’s exclusive here.
K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020:
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February 27, 2020: Reps. Green and Lynch introduce the K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020. Read about this bill in ABC News and McClatchy DC
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April 28, 2020: Rep. Green’s Statement on VA Action to Study Veterans’ Toxic Exposure at K2 Air Base
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October 16, 2020: Reps. Green, Lynch, and Gabbard send bipartisan letter, urging inclusion of K2 bill in FY2021 NDAA
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December 3, 2020: Rep. Green’s K2 legislation included in the final FY21 NDAA
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December 16, 2020: Rep. Green’s Statement on New Defense Executive Order for K2 Veterans
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January 19, 2021: President Trump used Rep. Green’s K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020 as a template for his executive order requesting that the Secretary of Defense recognize Uzbekistan as a combat zone for purposes of medical care. Read the reporting from CBS’ Catherine Herridge and Jessica Kegu here.
K2 Veterans Care Act:
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February 25, 2021: A bicameral, bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the K2 Veterans Care Act. Read more from News Channel 5 Nashville’s Alexandra Koehn.
Additional Actions:
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February 6, 2020: Rep. Green testifies before the House Oversight Committee hearing on K2 veterans
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March 11, 2025: Rep. Green votes to continue the Trump administration’s progress.
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Fox News op-ed: “Veterans Day reminds us that freedom cannot be taken for granted”
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CNN op-ed: “The veterans who need Congress to act in 2021”
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Tennessean op-ed: “Veterans Exposed to Cancer-Causing Chemicals at K2 Air Base Deserve Justice”
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ClarksvilleNow op-ed: “Let’s ensure K2 veterans receive medical care they need and deserve.”
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