Military better prepared than ever for disaster relief

by John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service

The Defense Department and U.S. military are better prepared than ever to aid disaster-relief efforts, and have improved measures for tracking military families affected by catastrophe, a top Pentagon official here said May 21.

Among other services, department entities are poised to assist with evacuations, emergency transportation and search-and-rescue missions as the nation braces for the hurricane season that starts June 1, said Paul McHale, the assistant secretary of defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' security affairs.

"Today, the Department of Defense -- active, Reserve and National Guard -- is better prepared to assist civil authorities than at any other time in our nation's history," Mr. McHale said at a Hurricane Awareness Day news conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency here.

The department understands its role in catastrophic relief and has worked with FEMA to put in place a wide range of missions to support a national response, Mr. McHale said. In the event of disaster, the Pentagon is prepared to coordinate FEMA logistics on military bases, to deploy emergency communications rapidly, and to deliver ready-made meals, water and power generators.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised the increased role the Defense Department has assumed over recent years.

"(The people of the Defense Department) have been phenomenal partners over the last couple of years and have become really fully integrated with our planning system and our approach in a way that was not the case previously," he said.

Pentagon officials have more closely integrated its planning with the National Guard Bureau, U.S. Northern Command, and state adjutants general, Mr. McHale said. Guardsmen are ready to deploy to Gulf Coast and East Coast states -- where hurricanes are most likely to hit -- and military forces are prepared to protect constitutional rights and provide law enforcement if either system breaks down in the wake of a disaster.

"Our men and women in military uniform are well prepared to provide substantial life-saving assistance to FEMA," Mr. McHale said. "And with a sense of urgency, we will do so if called upon during the 2008 hurricane season."

DOD officials also are working with the U.S. Northern Command staff to implement a system to track and account for troops and military families evacuated or displaced as a result of natural or man-made calamity. The effort has been spurred on by the chaos that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Mr. McHale said.

"A number of days passed before we had full accountability for all military personnel and their family members," Mr. McHale said of the post-Katrina confusion. "(With the new system,) we will know who's safe and perhaps who is in jeopardy."

Air Force Reserve stands up first F-22 Raptor unit

by Master Sgt. Chance Babin, Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
Tech. Sgt. Paul Hennig unveils the newly painted 302nd Fighter Squadron tail markings Oct. 2 following the 477th Fighter Group activation ceremony at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. The 477th FG, and its subsequent squadrons, are now the first and only Reserve F-22 Raptor unit in the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Garrett Hothan)

10/5/2007 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Air Force Reserve officials activated the first F-22 Raptor unit, the 477th Fighter Group, in a ceremony here Oct. 2, giving the Reserve a valuable part of America's newest and most sophisticated weapons system.

"This is a most wonderful day for the AFRC because we have officially stood up our first F-22 associate squadron and its group," said Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, the AFRC commander. "I'm really proud of this day. This will be something that our command will be proud of for 50, 60, 70 years I believe."

The day also honored the unit's fabled heritage, with the 477th FG and the 302nd Fighter Squadron both having Tuskegee Airmen lineage. Tuskegee Airmen were present to add to the momentous day.

"It's priceless, there's no other way to put it," General Bradley said. "This is their heritage; we're standing on their shoulders. We're very proud to have their name and heritage in our 477th FG and 302nd FS."

For Col. Eric Overturf, 477th FG commander, having the unit stood up means it's time to get to work.

"Now we can go from the planning phase to the execution phase. The first thing we're going to do is start flying airplanes, start fixing airplanes and make the mission happen," Colonel Overturf said.

One of the unit's top priorities is to continue attracting highly qualified candidates, unit officials said.

The 477th FG currently has approximately 35 people assigned. By the end of this fiscal year that number should be 163, with incremental rises the next four years bringing the groups total to 426 by fiscal 2012. Ultimately, the group is scheduled to have 160 Air Reserve technicians and 266 traditional reservists.

He is first going to focus his efforts on filling the almost 270 traditional reservists positions, Colonel Overturf said.

For the Tuskegee Airmen on hand, having this new unit with the Air Force's newest fighter is an honor, they said.

"The highlight of this is the continuation of our legacy we started in the '40s," said retired Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Robert Ashby. "To have our unit flying the newest most sophisticated aircraft in the world and adopt the unit here is truly outstanding."