HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFTSHUMANITARIAN AIRLIFTS

OVERVIEWOVERVIEW

Humanitarian Airlifts: A USAF Tradition

Humanitarian Airlifts After Desert Storm

Conclusion

Humanitarian Airlifts: A USAF Tradition

Humanitarian Airlifts After Desert Storm

Conclusion

Early Humanitarian AirliftsUSAF Airlifts, 1947 – 1993Domestic ReliefLatin AmericaEuropeAfricaMiddle EastEastern AsiaPacific Islands

Early Humanitarian AirliftsUSAF Airlifts, 1947 – 1993Domestic ReliefLatin AmericaEuropeAfricaMiddle EastEastern AsiaPacific Islands

HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFTS: A USAF TRADITION

HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFTS: A USAF TRADITION

Early Humanitarian AirliftsEarly Humanitarian Airlifts1919; dropped food to marooned flood victims along Rio Grande river1920s; bombed ice jams in rivers such as Delaware, Platte, and Susquehanna to prevent flooding, restore navigation and save bridges1929; delivered 27 tons of food and other supplies to flood victims in southern Alabama1932; dropped supplies to Navajo Indians in Arizona who were snowbound1935; bombed volcano to save city of Hilo from a lava flow1936; food and other supplies to flood victims in Pennsylvania1937; food and other supplies to flood victims in southern Illinois1939; delivered medical supplies to earthquake victims in Chile1944; food to France1945; food to Dutch

USAF Airlifts, 1947 – 1993USAF Airlifts, 1947 – 1993At least 490 relief operations all over the world

105 to Latin America45 to Europe61 to Africa38 to western Asia63 to eastern Asia~87 to islands in Pacific

104 domestic relief operations31 floods22 forest fires15 hurricanes11 blizzards5 tornadoes4 urban fires3 ship fires3 epidemics2 each to coal mine disasters and earthquakes1 volcanic eruption, locust plague, drought, sunken chlorine barge, airliner crash, and nuclear power plant accident

Domestic ReliefDomestic Relief1969; 85 flights, 5,900 tons of supplies to southern Mississippi, hurricane Camille1949; 200 flights, 4,700 tons of supplies and equipment to 8 western states, blizzards1977, 1979, 1987; sprayed over 2,000 tons of fire suppressant chemicals on western forest fires1975, 1986; sprayed over 1,000 tons of fire suppressant chemicals on western forest fires1978; 2,000 tons of equipment and supplies to New England after severe snowstorms1977; 1,160 tons of supplies to blizzard victims in New York and Pennsylvania1964; 105 flights, 1,850 tons, equipment and supplies to earthquake victims in Alaska and 850 rescue workers/evacuees1964; 245 flights, 1,598 tons of supplies to California and Oregon flood victims1992; 500 flights,11,000 tons to south Florida for hurricane Andrew victims, 7,000 people

Latin AmericaLatin America105 airlift operations, an average of over 2 each year

19,000 tons690 flights30 floods20 major earthquakes14 hurricanes, 3 tropical storms8 epidemics5 volcanoes4 disease outbreaks2 famines, forest fires, and mud slides

Willingness to help does not usually depend on the attractiveness of its political system; Cuba was exception

EuropeEurope45 airlift operations

Berlin12 earthquakes11 floods1956; Hungarian refugees in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland1992; economic collapse in new independent republics after USSR dissolves1992; economic collapse because of conflict in former Yugoslavia

AfricaAfrica61 relief operations

23 famines or refugees13 floods4 earthquakes4 pestilence3 epidemics

C-130 flights south of Sahara desertHeat prevented storing liquid oxygen for high altitude flightsHeat, dust, poor fuel and rocky runways multiplied maintenance problems

Middle EastMiddle East38 relief operations

11 earthquakes6 floods2 locust plaques and fires1 cyclone6 aided war victims1 transported 5,800 Americans from Iran during revolution, 1978-791 transported hostages released after more than 1 year captivity in Iran1 transported 3,700 Moslem pilgrims from Beirut to Mecca, 1954

Eastern AsiaEastern AsiaRegion farthest from U.S.Communist countries did not usually solicit or receive aid63 relief operations, more than 1 each year

15 floods10 disease6 storms2 earthquakes1 drought28 relieved man-made suffering, usually war1 each for release of former POWs from Korea and French/U.S. POWs from Vietnam1 delivered food, clothing, toys, soap to orphans in Vietnam1 rescued tens of thousands of South Vietnamese, 1975

Pacific IslandsPacific Islands87 relief operations

28 to Japan19 to Philippines38 typhoons14 floodsDisease, shipwrecks, blizzards, fires and volcanoes25 women from Japan to New York for plastic surgery after atomic bomb

Policing Postwar IraqOperation Provide HopeOperation Provide PromiseOperation Deny FightOperation Provide ReliefOperation Restore HopeOperation Uphold Democracy

Policing Postwar IraqOperation Provide HopeOperation Provide PromiseOperation Deny FightOperation Provide ReliefOperation Restore HopeOperation Uphold Democracy

HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFTS: AFTER DESERT STORM

HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFTS: AFTER DESERT STORM

Policing Postwar IraqPolicing Postwar IraqGulf War I encouraged Kurds in north to revolt against Saddam Hussein!Then we left them without support so the Iraqi army could end the rebellion with characteristic brutality, Mar 1991500,000 Kurds flee north to Turkish border

Policing Postwar IraqPolicing Postwar IraqTo stabilize situation (Provide Comfort),

airlift of relief supplies, air forces establish a “no fly” zone, and ground forces create a security zone

Security zone allows most Kurds to return to their homes, May 1991

Policing Postwar IraqPolicing Postwar IraqIn the south, Shiite Muslims rebel against Saddam HusseinSame tragic results, August 1992Establish “no fly” zone in South IraqIncreased to “no fly/no drive” zone, October 1994, to insure no new invasionof KuwaitAir power was enough in both cases to prevent Iraq from renewing attacks, worked for 10 yearsNo aircraft losses to Iraq, but 2 U.S. Army helicopters shot down by U.S. fightersand 19 airmen in terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

Humanitarian Airlifts: A USAF TraditionHumanitarian Airlifts: A USAF Tradition