A Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) is an operation conducted to evacuate civilians from another country, generally due to a deteriorating security situation.
According to United States Military Joint Publication 3-68, Noncombatant Evacuation Operations:[9] This means that at times American citizens may become endangered in locations outside of the United States.
Ambassador has the responsibility, according to law, to request a NEO.
Once he does, the government will determine whether or not the evacuation should be done with civilian resources, such as the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), or with military forces.
[citation needed] The method of evacuation could include sealift, airlift, or even by road.