Navy Official Details Aid Moving to Philippines
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2013 – Countries around the world are responding to the Typhoon Haiyan-caused devastation in the Philippines, and aid is rushing to the island nation with the U.S. Navy leading the way.
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Navy’s chief of information, discussed the U.S. military’s humanitarian aid and disaster relief effort, dubbed Operation Damayan, during a discussion at the Defense One Summit here yesterday.
Kirby told Al Jazeera’s Jamie Tarabay that the military is working in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is leading the U.S. portion of the effort.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington and three other U.S. vessels arrived in the Philippines yesterday, and sailors and Marines began delivering food, water and shelter to those affected by the storm. Philippine officials said that more than 4,000 people were killed by the storm, thousands more need medical attention, and millions are without the basics of life.
The Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally, Kirby said, noting that exercises and operations that U.S. and Philippine service members have conducted together in the past have aided the relief effort.
“[The Defense Department’s] rebalance to the Pacific is all about partnerships and trying to find ways to better understand one another and operate together,” Kirby said. “We’ve had a terrific relationship with the government of the Philippines for a very long time, … but when you have an emergency like this, this is not the time to try to build a relationship. At a time like this, you want to leverage the relationship we’ve had for so long, and that’s what we’re seeing here.”
About 300 U.S. Marines are currently on the ground aiding relief efforts in the Philippines today. Another 900 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based on the Japanese island of Okinawa are deploying aboard the USS Germantown and USS Ashland, and are expected to arrive in the Philippines next week.
Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft have been flying missions in the Philippines, and more of those aircraft are on the way.
--
Marine Expeditionary Unit Prepares to Join Operation Damayan
From a U.S. Marine Corps Pacific News Release
CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, Nov. 15, 2013 – Elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based on the Japanese island of Okinawa, are preparing to deploy to the typhoon-ravaged Philippines in support of Operation Damayan.
About 900 31st MEU Marines will board two Navy amphibious ships, the USS Germantown and USS Ashland, which are en route to Okinawa from their homeport of Sasebo, Japan and are expected to arrive in the Philippines next week. An additional 100 31st MEU Marines will fly to the region.
The ships are expected to bring heavy engineering equipment such as backhoes, dump trucks and wreckers; amphibious assault vehicles; generators; and portable water tanks.
As many as eight MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 assigned to the 31st MEU are expected to fly from Okinawa to Clark International Airport in the Philippines in the coming days, doubling the number of Osprey aircraft available to fly missions.
The 31st MEU Marines will assist with road clearance and with distribution of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies as needed. They’ll also aid relief efforts ashore throughout the emergency phase of operations.