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Operation Unified Assistance is the name of the United States military's response to the tsunami of 2004.

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.

Aircraft

Sri Lankan relief workers unload vegetables from an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter during an Operation Unified Assistance mission.

The United States has dispatched numerous C-5 Galaxy 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.

Ships

The Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which was in port in Hong Kong, was dispatched to the coast of Sumatra to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh. Other ships in the group were Shoup, Shiloh, Benfold, and USNS Rainier.

In addition, an Expeditionary Strike Group led by Bonhomme Richard, 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 gallons of fresh water per day. Other ships in the group were Duluth, Milius, Rushmore, Thach, Pasadena, Bunker Hill and USCGC Munro.

The US Navy also deployed the USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed hospital ship (initially staffed to support 250 patient beds).

Other logistics ships were also employed such as the USNS San Jose and USNS Niagara Falls.

In January 2005, 24 Navy ships and one Coast Guard vessel were in the area. The last ship, Mercy, departed the region in April 2005.

Effect

Indonesian public opinion of the United States markedly improved in the year after the tsunami, jumping from 15% in 2003 to 38% in 2005, going against the general trend of less favorable attitudes towards America in that time period.^[1] Many Indonesians surveyed indicated that American relief efforts generally improved their view of the United States.^[2]

References

External links

• GlobalSecurity.org OUA page
• Pacific Command Public Affairs OUA page
• "Humanitarian Mission" (Photo Essay of OUA). U.S. Department of Defense. http://www.defense.gov/home/photoessays/2005-01/p20050109a1.html. Retrieved 23 December 2008.