Deputy Secretary of State for Management Resources Brian P. McKeon traveled to Camp Atterbury in Indiana Dec. 1 where he met Afghan staff previously employed at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, according to a release by the U.S. Department of State.

McKeon also met with other guests from Afghanistan, along with Operation Allies Welcome leadership members and representatives from the local Resettlement Agency, a press release by the U.S. Department of State said.

“He will affirm the United States’ commitment to provide support to the Afghans, many of whom have worked directly with the U.S. government, as they resettle across the country," government officials said in the Nov. 30 press release.

McKeon thanked staff from the State Department, federal agencies, non-profits and charitable organizations working at Camp Atterbury, the release said.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul suspended operations on Aug. 31 during the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, a security message on the embassy’s website said. The government is working to ensure safe, efficient and successful resettling of Afghan allies, according to the release.

Operation Allies Welcome is an effort that began on Aug. 29 to “support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades, as they safely resettle in the United States,” a description on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website said. Applicants are screened and processed at military bases in the U.S. and connected with organizations that resettle them into communities.

McKeon has served as deputy secretary since March 19. Prior to the position, he served as senior director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, DC, according to his bio on the State Department website. He also served in the U.S. Senate for more than 20 years, which included 12 years as chief counsel to the Democratic members of the Committee on Foreign Relations.