Our Mission

The Operation Sacred Promise (OSP) mission is to honor the service and sacrifice of Afghan Air Force and Army Special Mission Wing warriors and their families by supporting their transition from Afghanistan and helping them build new, productive lives in the United States. OSP provides consular assistance and resettlement support, including housing and basic life needs, job placement, language training, and cultural acclimation, in addition to ongoing advocacy and awareness efforts.

Our Story

OSP started on August 16, 2021 as an ad-hoc group of volunteers – American Service Members working around the clock to help our Afghan partners escape the Taliban. Working across the globe, we have since helped these partners navigate the bureaucratic pathways to legal residence in the United States and work toward securing housing, employment, and education. OSP members represent every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and include dedicated civilian volunteers with specialized experience in immigration law, public affairs, and humanitarian aid.

Our Partners

Efforts to build an Afghan Air Corps to support the Government of Afghanistan began as early as 2005. This effort became the Afghan Air Force and Afghan Army’s Special Mission Wing, which provided humanitarian support, VIP airlift, and counter-insurgency capabilities to the government.

Afghan pilots and crews were all hand-selected, thoroughly vetted, and trained in the West, many attending flight training and professional development courses side-by-side with their American and NATO counterparts. Upon returning to Afghanistan, they flew side-by-side with American and NATO pilots, supporting some of the most challenging missions undertaken by Afghan and NATO ground forces battling the Taliban. These men and women, all volunteers, continued to serve the government of Afghanistan until the fall of Kabul, despite grave threats to themselves and their families by Taliban assassins.

Today, these highly skilled warriors and their families are without a country and face an uncertain future – unless we act quickly to repay their bravery and sacrifice

Our Leadership

Gen. David Hicks | CEO

General David Hicks served 30 years as an Air Force fighter pilot and General Officer, retiring as a Brigadier General on the Air Force HQ Staff in the Pentagon. As the Director of Strategy, Concepts, and Assessments, he led Air Force transformation by developing and synchronizing Air Force Strategy and Strategic Planning efforts and assessing the alignment of planning products with strategic guidance.

General Hicks has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels, including two combat command tours leading multinational and multi-service forces. His duty history includes multiple combat air forces flying assignments, including serving as an instructor and commander at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. As a command pilot with over 3800 flying hours and over 125 combat missions, he has participated in Operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Resolute Support. His most recent combat command assignment was as commander of all U.S. and NATO forces tasked with training, advising, and assisting the building of the Afghanistan Air Force.

General Hicks has extensive experience as a Senior Executive Leader with a proven record of leading large organizations through complex challenges and missions and a passion for mentoring future leaders. He is a Bombardier Global 6000 Pilot and Managing Director at Victory Strategies. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Team 5 Medical Foundation.

General Hicks graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989 with a degree in Engineering Mechanics. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering. He currently resides in Las Vegas, NV, and his full biography can be found here.

Carl Miller | President 

Carl Miller is a National Defense Fellow at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. He organized the original group of volunteers who became Operation Sacred Promise after the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.

Between 2015 and 2019 Carl spent two years in Afghanistan as an Advisor to the Afghan Air Force, where he served as the squadron commander for all flying operations in Kabul. Carl has been an instructor and evaluator pilot in various aircraft including the C-17, T-6, C-208, and AC-208. He has over 4,000 flying hours including over 1,000 combat hours, and has also served as a Congressional Liaison. Carl holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and a M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University.

He also serves on the board of directors and is an 11-year volunteer with Camp Rising Sun, a free summer camp in Columbus, Mississippi for children battling cancer.

Chris Ibsen | COO for Recovery Operations

Christopher Ibsen is a Special Operations pilot, combat veteran, and critical thinker with a track record of solving tough problems.

Chris has served as a Legislative Liason for the Secretary of the Air Force and as the Liaison from Air Force Special Operations Command serving with Naval Special Operations Development Group. He has experience planning and executing global operational missions working with foreign governments and militaries, as well as senior U.S. Military and Government officials.

Chris is a Command-rated instructor pilot with over 3,400 hours and extensive worldwide special operations experiences throughout the Middle East and across the
continent of Africa. He was commissioned from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and holds a Master’s degree in Military Operations Art and Science