UTAPAO ROYAL THAI NAVY AIRFIELD, Thailand –
In support of Operation Sahayogi Haat, U.S. Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and
Marines are ensuring humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies and
personnel are moving smoothly in and out of Nepal at an intermediate staging
base at Utapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand.
At the ISB, Joint Task
Force-505 personnel monitor satellite and radio communications with other
JTF-505 components throughout the region, and support air operations to ensure
the government and people of Nepal receive the support they need to help recover
from the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the mountainous
country April 25.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Minihan, the JTF-505
Joint Air Component Coordination Element commander, explained the role of the
mission in Thailand, and highlighted its importance to the overall Nepal
earthquake relief mission.
"We've set up an intermediate staging base
that can help airpower and airlift, specifically U.S. Marine and Air Force air
[capabilities], and rapidly move those unique capabilities in and out of Nepal,"
Minihan said. "This JTF-505 is significant because it shows that the
partnerships in this region are important, and all the exercises and engagements
that we do throughout this region have a real-world application so that when an
incident happens like the earthquake in Nepal, we can rapidly come together ...
and instantly have a positive impact and do what we need to do for the
government and the people of Nepal."
The JTF-505 mission in Thailand has
been able to move tons of cargo and hundreds of support personnel into
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal and a region significantly impacted by the
earthquake.
Additionally, Royal Thai Armed Forces work with the JTF-505
at the ISB to coordinate earthquake relief support with the Thai
government.
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Matthew Youngblood, JTF-505 JACCE
officer in charge, said working jointly with the other services and the Thai
government has been important to the earthquake relief mission.
"It has
been an exceptional experience working with our service counterparts, and we
look forward to continuing cooperation with the Thai government, and our
continued services' support to the people of Nepal," Youngblood
said.
U.S. Pacific Command activated JTF 505 on May 1 to work closely
with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development,
and other U.S. agencies to ensure a timely and thorough response to requests by
the government of Nepal.