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07 January 2005

International Community Moves to Thwart Disease in South Asia

U.S. military presence will end when crisis abates

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Security Staff Writer

Washington – The chief of the U.N. Emergency Services Branch says the rapid response of the international community in providing humanitarian assistance in Southeast Asia is mitigating conditions that could lead to the outbreak of disease.

Speaking from Utapao, Thailand, to reporters at the Pentagon via teleconference on January 7, Gerhard Putman-Cramer said the “effectiveness of our collective response is mitigating” earlier predictions that the casualty rate from disease could grow exponentially.  The scale of this particular crisis is unprecedented, he said, and it demands “an unprecedented response.”

Consequently “all means are being utilized and mobilized,” the U.N. official said, including the vast U.N. structure, the International Red Cross system, the combined force of nongovernmental organizations and the military, and private sector donations.

Resources such as fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, road-repair equipment, and heavy-duty generating equipment provided by the U.S. military have been “extremely valuable,” Putnam-Cramer said, “and we are extremely grateful for these being put at our disposal.”

U.S. Marine Lieutenant General Robert Blackman, who is the commander of the Combined Support Force 536 and is temporarily located in Thailand, also participated in the teleconference.  He said all the military assets needed for the relief efforts where he is located are either on hand and being used or are en route.  The capabilities needed for this monumental relief effort were moved to the region, beginning as early as December 27, 2004, and accelerated with what he described as “incredible speed.”  The rapidity of the response, he said, can be attributed to the existence of the expeditionary and forward-based U.S. military forces in the region.

Asked about the utility of bringing in the U.S. Navy’s floating hospital ship in the next month, Blackman said the vessel has some unique capabilities to offer, including experience in dealing with trauma casualties and the ability to cope with any outbreak of epidemics. The USS Mercy might also be used to provide emergency aid workers with an offshore sanctuary as its sister ship, the USS Comfort, did in New York City following the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

An additional advantage of the Mercy, according to Blackman, is that it provides the military with a world-class floating medical capability without creating “a significant footprint and presence on the ground” in the region.

Asked if the scale of the U.S. military response in the region might jeopardize its mission in other regions such as the Korean Peninsula, Blackman said:  “We are not far way,” and the U.S. Pacific Command would have no problem marshalling the resources needed “to continue to deter any aggression” there.

Blackman also thanked the Thai Government for access to Utapao -- now being used as a regional hub to deliver humanitarian relief.  Without that access, he said, “I don’t think that we would be anywhere near as successful as we have been today.”

Blackman said military officials are able “to see the top of the crisis curve.”  The priority in the next few days, he said, will be to figure out how to sustain and synchronize disaster-relief deliveries to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Blackman also said the U.S. military will not stay in the region any longer than necessary.  “We will conduct operations here as long as it takes to accomplish our mission of minimizing further loss of life and mitigating human suffering," he said.

For additional information, see “U.S. Response to Tsunami and Earthquake in Asia” at: http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/global_issues/recovery.html

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)