On Jan. 18, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III -- like the aircraft pictured here -- airdropped more than 69,000 pounds of food and water to earthquake victims in Haiti.

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airdrops humanitarian aid into the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 18, 2010. Department of Defense assets have been deployed to assist in the Haiti relief effort following a magnitude 7 earthquake that hit the city on Jan. 12, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James L. Harper Jr., U.S. Air Force.

A U.S. Air Force Combat Controller from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field Fl., watches pallets after an airdrop of humanitarian aid in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 18, 2010 for distribution. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James L. Harper Jr., U.S. Air Force.

Airmen from U.S. Southern Command’s air component, Air Force South, conducted an airdrop mission Jan. 18 in an effort to provide an alternate distribution point for relief supplies to Haitian earthquake victims. The mission was planned and executed by Airmen at Headquarters Air Mobility Command, 18th Air Force and the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center.

The C-17 Globemaster III, crewed by Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, S.C., departed Pope AFB, N.C., and delivered 14,000 Meals Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, and 14,000 quarts of water in the 7-hour round-trip mission to Haiti. To ensure the safety of the Haitian people, servicemembers with Joint Task Force-Haiti secured an area in which to airdrop the supplies. Once on the ground, supplies were distributed by JTF-Haiti, USAID and other relief personnel.

One of the greatest challenges in this relief operation has been lack of infrastructure, which has significantly slowed the delivery of supplies and workers to the greatest points of need in Haiti. Airdrop is one of many options the international community is using in order to create alternate distribution points that will enable aid to reach the people more quickly.

Since Jan. 13, Air Mobility Command aircrews have delivered more than 1,500 tons of supplies to the region as part of Operation Unified Response.

U.S. Air Force

A mobile command and control communications center is loaded onto a Charleston AFB C-17 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Jan. 15, 2010. The 621st Contingency Response Wing at JB MDL deployed ground forces to set up air base operations to set the stage for expedient supply of humanitarian aid. Additionally, AMC has aeromedical assets that can take care of and transport injured people to follow-on care. (U.S.Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katie Gieratz) (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katie Gieratz)

AFSOC Airmen save Haitian Earthquake victim, land over 600 aircraft in Haiti

Airmen from Hurlburt Field hit the ground sprinting earlier last week, kicking off the U.S. Southern Command’s overall Haiti Humanitarian mission.

The Airmen have performed a wide range of missions to include medical support, airfield management, and weather observation in the devastated country, which suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, and numerous aftershocks.

“We arrived the first evening with three U.S. aircraft. Within 28 minutes we established command and control, airfield management, and were able to land aircraft that night,” said Col. “Buck” Elton, Joint Special Operations Task Force commander. “On a typical day, the Port-au-Prince airport lands about three aircraft. Since we landed Wednesday, over 600 aircraft have landed and taken off.”

As of Friday, Haitian air controllers returned to duty, providing long range control while the combat controllers prioritized incoming aircraft, directed landings and take offs while balancing confined parking ramp space.

According to a factsheet released by Air Force South, the Haiti Flight Operations Coordination Center (HFOCC) has been created to oversee the efficient arrival, off-load and departure of military and civilian relief efforts to provide much-needed aid to the Haitian people.

All aircraft delivering aid will be allowed to land on a prioritized basis. Priorities and landing times are determined by the Government of Haiti in consultation with the United States government and the UN Mission in Haiti based on current needs.

“By using the slot system, we have been able to maximize the number of relief supplies the airport has been able to take in,” said Colonel Elton. “We have it so that when one aircraft departs, another takes its place.”

So far, over 600,000 humanitarian daily food rations have been distributed throughout Haiti, along with water and hygiene kits.

“We’re diligently working with the Haitian government to prioritize distribution sites,” said Mr. Tim Callahan, senior regional adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. “Hygiene kits are becoming more and more important, preventing further medical symptoms from occurring.”

On Saturday night, Air Force Special Operations Command pararescuemen along with Arlington Va. Search and Rescue pulled a 25-year-old Haitian female from the rubble at the university. It took them 28 hours to rescue her and was treated by the 1st Special Operations Medical Group surgeons.

Joint international work has been the underlining theme in the Haiti humanitarian mission.

“International search and rescue teams have rescued 61 people as of Sunday afternoon,” said Mr. Callahan. “Out of the 61 people rescued 29 we’re rescued by U.S. joint teams.”

“Seeing the teams on the ground digging people out and making rescues is very powerful,” said Mr. Callahan.

“I’m proud of all the quiet professionals who are deployed here,” said Colonel Elton.

At approximately 6 p.m. Jan. 14, a Charleston AFB C-17 and crew departed on the base’s first mission to bring the humanitarian relief to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which was struck Jan. 12 by a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

Charleston AFB began launching relief aircraft to augment the overall coalition effort currently underway to aid Haiti disaster victims.

The 437th and 315th Airlift Wings here are projected to provide additional airlift for relief personnel, equipment and supplies as directed by U.S. Transportation Command and requested by U.S. Southern Command.

One of three commands under USTRANSCOM, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command is fully prepared to provide any support necessary to aid Haiti relief efforts, AMC officials said.

Already underway are two additional humanitarian relief missions, which departed Charleston AFB early Jan. 15. Between the two most recent missions, as many as 80 Federal Emergency Management Agency search and rescue personnel are expected to be on board.

Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, Denis McDonough, one of many who have been transported via Charleston AFB C-17s, said the relief effort can only do good for the country, which is commonly accepted to be the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Compounding relief challenges even further, the airfield infrastructure required to provide rapid air delivery of supplies had been severely weakened following the earthquake, said 1st Lt. Ryan Fisher, 817th Contingency Response Group assistant director of operations.

The first mission from Charleston AFB was directed at improving the airfield conditions, by providing mobility support for deploying Airmen with the 817th CRG, based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, who possess the expertise needed to reinvigorate the crippled Port-au-Prince airfield. The C-17 mission departed Charleston AFB, rushing up the East Coast and landing at JB MDL at approximately 8 p.m. , where air transportation specialists with the 305th Aerial Port Squadron, affectionately known as “Port Dawgs,” immediately began loading the aircraft.

The load-out included a mobile command and control unit used for advanced communications with aircraft, ground vehicles and ground radios, as well as satellite communication equipment. The control unit was painted an illustrious desert tan, an obvious improvement designed for concealment in a Middle Eastern wartime environment, yet now was to be used for a much different purpose.

With the suffering Haitian people waiting for relief, there was a sense of purpose to be acknowledged, and the Port Dawgs with the 305th APS wasted no time, pushing, pulling and hauling the remaining cargo into the cavity of the C-17. The final “items” on the load plan ended up loading themselves … approximately 20 Airmen from the 817th CRG who would be deploying in support of Haiti relief efforts to aid their exhausted counterparts who were already on the ground in Haiti getting operations underway.

For many Airmen in the group, the expedition will be a first-time experience, said Staff Sgt. Jed Bigler, 816th Contingency Response Group communications technicians, who will be staying back to help mobilize the 817th CRG.

It had been some time since a world event called upon the unit’s unique abilities in such a vast way, he said. Nonetheless, he said he was ready.

“I saw the damage on the news and thought, ‘I better pack my bags,’” Sergeant Bigler said. “We expect the unexpected and train for that.”

As it turned out, it was not his group which will be deployed.

The 817th CRG is expected to deploy to Haiti for at least a month, and the group is prepared to stay until the mission is complete, said Lieutenant Fisher. The unit brings along food, water, tents for shelter, and all the necessities to accomplish their mission.

“The [contingency response group] is like an air base in a box,” Lieutenant Fisher said. “We bring sanity to chaos.”

Missions began flying out of JB MDL bound for Haiti in the early afternoon Jan. 14. The arrival of the Charleston AFB crew in New Jersey was assigned to transport the third wave of Airmen and equipment scheduled to leave the base for Port-au-Prince, according to JB MDL airfield management.

The hop to Haiti was no stone’s throw across the pond, but the time passed fast enough for passengers on board, with most taking a quick nap before arriving at Port-au-Prince. Within minutes of arrival, the sense of urgency was apparent as Port Dawgs once again arrived on the scene.

The aircraft ramp was a tight squeeze for the monstrous C-17, and mere feet separated parked aircraft from other aircraft taxiing past them.

As the Charleston C-17 sat on the airfield, other aircraft were landing and taking off in nearly pitch-black conditions. In a city that once glowed with illumination for millions, some of the last beacons left lit were only the few bright runway lights of the airfield, guiding relief aircraft one-by-one.

With all the cargo unloaded from the jet, Col. Patrick Hollrah, 817th CRG commander, said operations were sitting at 75 percent and improving, but challenges still remained because of the size of the airfield ramp and the number of people available to work.

By the time the Charleston crew departed Haiti and returned home, it was approximately 8 a.m. The crew, worn for wear from the long mission, expressed confidence in their contribution to the relief effort.

“The mission was definitely a success,” said Maj. John Cousins, the mission aircraft commander from the 317th Airlift Squadron.

“Things have already improved within the last 24 hours … Things are flowing better, but definitely with the people we delivered and their equipment, it’s just going to continue to improve, and the infrastructure of the base is gong to be able to handle more cargo,” he said.

“We’re the only air force in the world that has the ability to deliver that kind of cargo in that amount of time. It’s a huge impact to be able to take our C-17s and deliver this much needed [contingency response group] and the supplies that are going to follow the CRG.”

The sun set just after 5:30 pm in Port-au-Prince on January 13, 2010. There was no moon in the partly cloudy sky, just the stars looking down on the horror that was Haiti. Help was coming, and would arrive about 8 pm that evening.

The C-130 Combat Talons of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command quietly glided out of the sky to settle onto the one runway of the Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport. The airport was crowded with planes that had made the dangerous, uncontrolled flight into the earthquake ravaged nation in the 24 hours since the quake.

Security personnel of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron were first off the planes. The airport was swarming with both Haitians and foreign nationals and the safety of everyone was paramount. Within a half hour, the well-trained airmen had secured the facility and the remaining Special Operators disembarked. With radios already active, combat controllers began the task of air traffic control for the airport and the region.

Along with the security contingent and combat controllers, the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron brought pararescue personnel, trained as paramedics and also trained in urban search and rescue.

The airport had planes parked wherever the pilots could find space. Some needed refueling, others needed to be moved, and others needed to be unloaded. Through the night, the airmen worked to sort out the mess. Electricity was on at the airport and the runway lights functioned.

As dawn broke, the pararescue teams and their equipment moved into the city of Port-au-Prince. Acting on a priority list from the American Embassy, they began the difficult task of locating trapped survivors and extricating them from the rubble. By mid afternoon, seven rescues had been accomplished.

The situation at the airport began to be sorted out. Airmen discovered that there were only two tow bars and two fuel trucks, which made support services a bottleneck. Unloading aircraft was another. At one point during the day 44 airplanes were on the ground.

With little prospects for additional fuel reaching the airport, air traffic controllers were telling inbound aircraft to have enough fuel for departure as well. One large aircraft on the field required six hours to be refueled via the two fuel trucks.

With just one runway and the service bottlenecks, many aircraft circled the airport for hours waiting for permission to land. The FAA assisted in attempting to relieve the congestion by limiting or denying permissions for flights to Haiti during the day on January 14.

Additional resources from the Air Force arrived in Haiti late in the day on January 14. These planes brought more equipment and additional personnel from Mobility Command to enhance air traffic control and airport operations.

Special Ops C-130s, Teams Provide Disaster Relief

Air Force Special Forces Rescue Seven in Haiti Relief Efforts

US Air Force Special Forces Set Up Airport Controls, Start Rescue Missions

Coast Guard Update

The U.S. Coast Guard, the first Department of Homeland Security agency to provide assistance to Haiti following Tuesday’s earthquake, continues to provide support Wednesday to the U.S. Government’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts.The aircrew of a Coast Guard H-60 Jayhawk helicopter medically evacuated four, critically injured U.S. citizens from the U.S. Embassy Wednesday morning and a second medevac of five people was conducted Wednesday afternoon.  The injured were transported to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Guantanomo Bay, Cuba.  Two Coast Guard C-130s are scheduled to arrive Wednesday evening with the ability to evacuate up to 140 personnel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  Two other Coast Guard C-130s from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., are being prepositioned to Air Station Miami to support the relief efforts.  Among the pending aircraft missions for Coast Guard aircraft is an airlift to Haiti from the U.S. of two Urban Search and Rescue Teams which is being coordinated through U.S. Southern Command.

The Coast Guard Cutter Forward arrived in the waters off Port Au Prince, Haiti, at about 8 a.m., Wednesday and together with Maritime Intelligence Support Team 0410, was able to assess some of the damage caused to the Port Au Prince port.  Coast Guard personnel observed multiple oil and fuel spills as well as possible sewage spills in the area of the port,  about one to one and a half miles from the coast.  They also reported seeing multiple small fires along the shoreline and significant damage to or destruction of infrastructure at the port.

Damage to port infrastructure is reported to include the port’s container crane and other cargo cranes.  Some of the cranes are reported to be completely submerged and others appear damaged but the extent of the damage cannot yet be fully determined.

Overflights of Haiti conducted by two, Coast Guard C-130 aircraft from Air Station St. Petersburg, Fla., revealed much less observable damage along the Northern shore of Haiti than in the area surrounding Port Au Prince.  To view Coast guard video from the overflight click here or go to http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=744801.  To view photos from the overflight and other relief efforts click here or visit http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=77427.

The Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk also arrived in the coastal waters of Haiti Wednesday afternoon.

The Coast Guard Cutters Tahoma and Valiant are slated arrive in Haitian waters Thursday.  The Tahoma is loaded with relief supplies for earthquake survivors.

“When the sun came up this morning in Port au Prince there was a Coast Guard cutter off-shore providing command and control, assessing the situation, providing situational awareness,” said Adm. Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant.  “So within 24 to 36 hours we had three cutters with the capacity to support hundreds if not thousands,” said Allen.

Allen made these remarks during the opening minutes of an address today at the Surface Naval Association conference.  Click here for to see video of Allen’s remarks or go to http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/01/video-admiral-allen-on-haiti-earthquake-and-relief/.

“We encourage the American people to donate what funds they can afford to disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross to allow voluntary relief groups to provide goods and services to disaster survivors in Haiti as quickly as possible,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

The Coast Guard Cutter Valiant is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Miami, Fla.

The Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter, is homeported in Key West, Fla.

The Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, N.H.

The Coast Guard Cutter Forward, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter, is  homeported in Portsmouth, Va.

The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Laramie (T-AO 203) performs an underway replenishment (UNREP) with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). This is the ship's first UNREP since completing a scheduled refueling complex overhaul at Northrop Grumman Shipbulding. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Ashley Van Dien/Released)

Massive US Navy surge for Haiti relief

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) has been ordered to deploy to Haiti to conduct Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response (HA/DR) missions Jan. 13. Currently, Vinson is underway in the Atlantic Ocean, and will briefly loiter off the coast of Mayport to receive equipment and supplies.

Along with Vinson, USS Bataan (LHD 5) embarked with Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU 22), USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), and USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) were ordered to get underway as soon as possible. Additionally, USS Normandy (CG 60), USS Underwood (FFG 36) and USS John L. Hall (FFG 32) will deploy from their homeports and stand ready to assist, while USNS Comfort (T-AH-20), homeported in Baltimore, Md., is preparing to get underway, if required.

A Navy P-3 Orion aircraft from the Patrol Squadron (VP) 26 detachment operating from Cooperative Security Location (CSL) Comalapa, El Salvador, took off early this morning to conduct aerial surveys of the area affected by the earthquake.

USS Higgins (DDG 76) based out of Naval Station San Diego will arrive on station off the coast of Haiti tomorrow to provide afloat logistical services for the Coast Guard helicopters.

Additionally, various units are prepared to provide assistance with sea-based helicopters, to include H-53 Sea Stallions and H-60 Seahawks.

As the Navy component command of U.S. Southern Command, NAVSO’s mission is to direct U.S. Naval forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Routine operations include counter-illicit trafficking, theater security cooperation, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

Nations send aid and personnel to Haiti

– Brazil’s Ministry of Defense ordered its U.N. troops in the country to offer whatever assistance they can, Brazil’s official news agency reported.

– China is preparing to send a 50-member rescue team, including three sniffer dogs, the official news agency Xinhua reported. China has 125 peacekeeping police in Haiti, Xinhua reported.

– Spain is sending three planeloads of aid — two from Panama in Central America and one from Madrid, the Spanish capital, CNN affiliate CNN+ reported. Spain is also making 3 million euros ($4.35 million) available for aid and will coordinate the European Union response.

– France, Haiti’s former colonial ruler, dispatched two planeloads of rescue personnel, one from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean and one from Marseilles, France.

– Russia is sending a mobile hospital with a staff of 45, including 20 doctors, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Elena Chernova told CNN. The mobile hospital “has intensive therapy, surgery, diagnostics, ultra-sound, X-ray, electrocardiogram modules as well as a blood test laboratory,” and can accommodate 50 patients at a time, Chernova said.

– Cuba sent an additional 30 doctors, plus medical supplies, to join the 344 doctors and paramedics it already had working in Haiti on humanitarian missions, said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

– Iceland is sending a 37-man search-and-rescue team and offered to help evacuate foreign nationals, its foreign ministry said.

– Canada has a five-man team already in Haiti as part of the U.N. relief efforts there.

– The United Kingdom and Israel also pledged to send survey teams.

MC-130P Combat Shadow

Air Force Special Ops deploy to Haiti

Officials from the 1st Special Operations Wing here deployed two MC-130H Combat Talon IIs from the 15th Special Operations Squadron and one MC-130P Combat Shadow from the 9th Special Operations Squadron Jan. 13 in support of humanitarian operations in Haiti.

The aircraft carried medical personnel, a fly-away security team, and a special tactics team composed of combat controllers, special operations weathermen and pararescuemen.

Further support from 23rd Air Force, 27th Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, the 1st SOW and the Air Force Reserve’s 919th Special Operations Wing at Duke Field, Fla., will deploy as necessary.