Operation Unified Assistance
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Operation United Assistance is the name of the United States military's response to the tsunami of 2004.
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[edit] 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 user of that base.
More than 12,600 Department of Defense personnel were involved in the relief effort.
The United States has offered assistance from its troops stationed in Japan.
[edit] Aircraft
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 AFB, CA, 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.
[edit] 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 Ranier.
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 and USCGS Munro.
The US Navy also deployed the USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed hospital ship (initially staffed to support 250 patient beds).
In January 2005, 24 Navy ships and one Coast Guard vessel were in the area. The last ship, Mercy, departed the region in April of 2005.
[edit] 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].
