US Marines have arrived in the Philippines to help



(note below from FNC’s Jennifer Griffin)

the following statement can be attributed to Colonel Brad Bartelt, director

of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Public Affairs:

***

(Start) At the request of the Government of the Philippines, Secretary of

Defense Chuck Hagel has directed U.S. Pacific Command to support U.S.

Government humanitarian relief operations in the Philippines in the wake of

Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. U.S. Pacific Command had designated the

commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, as the executive agent for

this operation.

Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda has impacted more than 4.2 million people

across 36 provinces in the Philippines, according to the Philippine

government’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

(NDRRMC). Philippine officials will have a better idea of the damage and

death toll in the coming days as transportation and communications systems

are repaired.

A forward command element (FCE)/humanitarian assistance survey team (HAST),

led by Brigadier General Paul Kennedy, the deputy commander of the Third

Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) and the commanding general of the Third

Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3d MEB), is in the Philippines to provide the

initial assessment on the support required.

The initial focus includes surface maritime search and rescue (SAR),

airborne maritime SAR, medium-heavy helicopter lift support, fixed-wing lift

support and logistics enablers. This includes requests for Navy P-3 Orion

aircraft to provide aerial assessments, Marine Corps C-130 cargo aircraft,

UC-35 personnel transports and MV-22 osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The MV-22

provides a unique capability in this type of operation: with its

short/vertical take-off and landing capabilities, it can operate in austere

environments. Its ability to convert quickly to fixed-wing configuration

gives it greatly increased speed and range over traditional rotary wing

aircraft. Two U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 26,

based in Jacksonville, Florida and currently

on a six month rotation to Misawa , Japan in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet,

have been prepositioned in the Philippines to assist with the Armed Forces

of the Philippines’ search and rescue operations.

In coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the

U.S. Charge’ d’Affairs in Manila, the Department of Defense will continue to

monitor the effects of Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda and will help our ally

recover from the storm.

Since 1990, the U.S. Government has responded to more than 40 disasters in

the Philippines at the request of that country’s government, ranging from

volcanic eruptions, drought, and population displacement. (End)

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