Acting Neighborly

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Canadian Forces, acting upon a new bilateral agreement, deployed three transport aircraft in the past week to support the US military’s humanitarian efforts during Hurricane Gustav, Air Forces Northern said in a release Sept. 2. A CC-177 (Canada’s designation for the C-17) from Trenton, Ontario, deployed to New Orleans Aug. 31 to assist in the evacuation of sick and elderly prior to Gustav making landfall west of there Sept. 1. Two CC-130s (Canada’s designation for the C-130) were also sent from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Pensacola, Fla., to assist with search and rescue operations in the hurricane’s wake. They were subsequently recalled to Canada once officials determined they would not be needed. In a separate release Tuesday, US Northern Command said these deployments marked the first time that the two nations’ militaries have used the mutual civil-assistance plan signed in February to coordinate Canadian military support in response to a threatening natural disaster in the US.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org