Orlando, February 19, 2010—Still considering how best to sustain the Afghanistan surge logistically, US Transportation Command had to shift gears to include a surge of relief support for earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Gen. Duncan McNabb, TRANSCOM boss, said at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium that his planners scrambled to figure out what the requirements would be to feed and shelter about one million people. They estimated it would take about 250 cargo containers a day—100 for food, 100 for water, and 50 for other supplies. He noted that Air Force Special Operations Command combat controllers initially got Haiti’s main airport operating again, enabling three airlift missions the day after the earthquake. The next day, that number jumped to 23, and two days later 120 flights.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.