Wednesday, January 13, 2010

SOUTHCOM to Deploy Assessment Team to Haiti

SOUTHCOM to Deploy Assessment Team to Haiti: "A team of 30 people from U.S. Southern Command will deploy to Haiti in support of U.S. relief efforts in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake Jan. 12.

The team, which includes U.S. military engineers, operational planners, a command and control group and communication specialists, will arrive in Haiti Jan. 13 on two C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The team is scheduled to work with U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, United Nations and international officials to assess the situation and facilitate follow-on U.S. military support.

Other immediate response activities include;
- At first light today, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter evacuated four critically injured U.S. Embassy staff to the Naval Station Guantanamo, Cuba, hospital for further treatment.

- Elements of the U.S. Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing are deploying today to the international airport at Port au Prince, Haiti, to provide air traffic control capability and airfield operations."