Operation Unified Assistance
Encyclopedia
Operation Unified Assistance is the name of the United States
military's response to the tsunami of 2004
.
More than 12,600 Department of Defense personnel were involved in the relief effort.
The United States offered assistance from its troops stationed in Japan.
The United States military participated in the Combined Coordination Center
.
and C-17 Globemaster III
strategic airlifters and ten C-130 Hercules
tactical airlifters containing disaster supplies, nine P-3C Orion
maritime patrol
aircraft for search and rescue
support, and several teams from the Departments of State
and Defense
to coordinate additional assistance. They are using Utapao Naval Air Base in Thailand
as their regional hub. The deployment of the 615th Air Mobility Operations Group
from Travis Air Force Base
, California, established a tanker airlift control element where personnel assisted with the safe movement of 6,685 passengers, 5,444 cargo tons of relief supplies and medical aid on 817 airlift missions.
, was dispatched to the coast of Sumatra to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh. Other ships in the group were the guided-missile cruiser ; the guided-missile destroyers and , and the fast combat support ship .
In addition, an Expeditionary Strike Group
led by the amphibious assault ship , scheduled for a port call in Guam
, was dispatched to render assistance. A total of 48 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters were involved. Each ship could produce around 90,000 US gallon
s of fresh water per day. Other ships in the group were amphibious transport dock , the guided-missile destroyer , the dock landing ship , the guided-missile frigate , the nuclear-powered submarine , guided-missile cruiser , and the coast guard cutter .
The US Navy
also deployed the , a 1,000-bed hospital ship
(initially staffed to support 250 patient beds).
Other logistics ships were also employed such as the combat stores ships and .
In January 2005, 24 Navy ships and one Coast Guard
vessel were in the area. Among those ships was the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2)
with helicopter detachments from helicopter squadrons HM-15
and HC-5
. The last ship, Mercy, departed the region in April 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military's response to the tsunami of 2004
Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the...
.
Overview
On 28 December, the first elements of the Combined Support Force (CSF-536) were deployed to Utapao, Thailand following that country's approval of the use of that base.More than 12,600 Department of Defense personnel were involved in the relief effort.
The United States offered assistance from its troops stationed in Japan.
The United States military participated in the Combined Coordination Center
Civil-military operations center
A civil-military operations center or CMOC is a center usually established by a military force for coordinating civil-military operations in an area of operations. It usually serves as a meeting place for military and non military entities involved in stabilization, humanitarian relief and...
.
Aircraft
The United States has dispatched numerous C-5 GalaxyC-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
and C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
strategic airlifters and ten C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
tactical airlifters containing disaster supplies, nine P-3C Orion
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...
maritime patrol
Maritime patrol
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities....
aircraft for search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
support, and several teams from the Departments of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
and Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
to coordinate additional assistance. They are using Utapao Naval Air Base in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
as their regional hub. The deployment of the 615th Air Mobility Operations Group
615th Contingency Response Wing
The 615th Contingency Response Wing, redesignated from the 615th Air Mobility Operations Group on April 11, 2005, is one of two Contingency Response Wings assigned to the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command...
from Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...
, California, established a tanker airlift control element where personnel assisted with the safe movement of 6,685 passengers, 5,444 cargo tons of relief supplies and medical aid on 817 airlift missions.
Ships
Carrier Strike Group Nine, led by the aircraft carrier , which was in port in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, was dispatched to the coast of Sumatra to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh. Other ships in the group were the guided-missile cruiser ; the guided-missile destroyers and , and the fast combat support ship .
In addition, an Expeditionary Strike Group
Expeditionary Strike Group
The Expeditionary Strike Group, or ESG, is a concept introduced in the U.S. military in the early 1990s, based on the Naval Expeditionary Task Force. The U.S. Navy fields 12 Expeditionary Strike Groups and 11 Carrier Strike Groups, in addition to surface action groups...
led by the amphibious assault ship , scheduled for a port call in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, was dispatched to render assistance. A total of 48 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters were involved. Each ship could produce around 90,000 US gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
s of fresh water per day. Other ships in the group were amphibious transport dock , the guided-missile destroyer , the dock landing ship , the guided-missile frigate , the nuclear-powered submarine , guided-missile cruiser , and the coast guard cutter .
The US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
also deployed the , a 1,000-bed hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
(initially staffed to support 250 patient beds).
Other logistics ships were also employed such as the combat stores ships and .
In January 2005, 24 Navy ships and one Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
vessel were in the area. Among those ships was the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2)
USS Essex (LHD-2)
USS Essex is a built at what is now Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and commissioned on 17 October 1992 while moored at North Island NAS beside the Kitty Hawk . It is the fifth ship named for Essex County, Massachusetts...
with helicopter detachments from helicopter squadrons HM-15
HM-15
Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 is a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Nicknamed the "Blackhawks" and flying the MH-53E Sea Dragon, it is staffed by both active duty and reserve personnel...
and HC-5
HSC-25
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Twenty Five "Island Knights" is a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The "Island Knights" are the Navy's only forward deployed Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron...
. The last ship, Mercy, departed the region in April 2005.