The following post was written by Admiral Scott Van Buskirk, Commander U.S. 7th Fleet and first appeared on his Facebook page.
Seven days ago, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded visited terrible loss of life and destruction upon one of America’s closest allies.
In the days that have followed, the U.S. Navy and our Japanese Self Defense Force counterparts have joined together for Operation Tomodachi, working shoulder-to-shoulder to prevent this extremely challenging and complex humanitarian disaster from worsening, while bringing relief to the victims.
Within hours of the earthquake, Seventh Fleet ships were on the move to help. USS Essex cut short its visit to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and my flagship USS Blue Ridge began loading several tons of relief items in Singapore, where it headed north the next morning. The USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group began steaming towards the area, while ships in Yokosuka sortied to head to the stricken coastal areas. Drawing on the close interpersonal relationships formed with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force over many years, my staff and my Task Force Commanders immediately began planning how we could best assist the people of Japan in an unprecedented joint HA/DR effort.
In my daily contacts with Vice Adm. Kuramoto, my counterpart with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), we have coordinated our response in several ways; JMSDF has entrusted to us a huge sector of water off eastern Honshu, where U.S. ships and helicopters have scoured miles of debris and vessels washed to sea for survivors. Three U.S. Navy liaison officers are overseeing relief efforts aboard JS Hyuga, while three JMSDF liaison officers are doing the same aboard USS Ronald Reagan.
In the past week, U.S. Navy helicopters from the Reagan Strike Group and Carrier Airwing Five in Atsugi have delivered more than 80 tons of desperately needed food, bottled water, milk, blankets and medical supplies to sites throughout eastern Honshu. USS Tortuga transported 93 vehicles and 273 Japan Ground Self Defense Force troops and equipment from Hokkaido to Honshu. And with the USS Essex Amphibious Ready Group now on station off the west coast of Honshu, we are poised to bring even more relief and heavy-lift helicopter capability to this important mission.
Through it all, I have been incredibly proud of our forces, both U.S. and Japanese, for the courage and dedication they’ve displayed. We are dealing with a disaster of enormous scale, in a challenging environment where we have to contend with the reality of radiological contamination. It creates complications in our planning and execution, but I am more confident each day that we have the ability to manage and mitigate this risk without endangering the health of our people.
Many of us are worried for our families back in Yokosuka and Atsugi as they make the decision about whether or not to leave Japan under the voluntary departure. But I know that we have a solid team back home, led by Rear Adm. Rick Wrenn, who are taking care of our loved ones and giving them the support they need, whether they choose go or stay. This support has enabled us to focus on our important task at hand, and we are making a tremendous difference.
The days ahead will not be easy; they will be filled with anxiety and uncertainty. But we are “all in” on this mission, and we know that our sacrifice pales in comparison to the Japanese people who have lost loved ones, and whose lives have been forever changed by the tragedy. With each passing day, I become more confident and more optimistic in our progress. I am certain that Japan will emerge from this crisis, and our bond will forever be stronger because of what U.S. and Japanese forces are bravely doing together, right here, right now.
NavyLife
