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Foreign Disaster Relief

We focus on supporting U.S. government efforts to reduce human suffering in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes. The goal is to help set the stage for long-term recovery.

U.S. service members stack boxes of aid which and water while off loading a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook during an aid relief mission Oct. 14, 2016 in Anse d'Hainault, Haiti.

U.S. service members stack boxes of aid which and water while off loading a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook during an aid relief mission Oct. 14, 2016 in Anse d'Hainault, Haiti. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe)

Photo of a single engine aircraft the United States donated to the Dominican Republic.

Senior U.S. and Dominican senior defense and government leaders pose for a photo in front of an aircraft.

U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson looks at "Bambi Buckets.”

Group photo of U.S. and Uruguayan military personnel.

U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, greets service members and staff of Escuela Nacional de Operaciones de Paz del Uruguay.

U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, meets with Uruguayan Minister of Defense Javier García.

U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson arrives in Uruguay for an official visit.

The commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson addresses attendees at the closing ceremony of an exercise.

PANAMA (June 15, 2023) -- The commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, meets with leaders and participants of the Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres en Centroamérica y República Dominicana (CEPREDENAC)-led humanitarian and disaster relief exercise in Panama.

PANAMA (June 15, 2023) -- The commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, takes part in a trilateral meeting with Panamanian Minister of Public Security Juan Pino, and Colombian Minister of Defense Iván Velásquez to discuss joint efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Darién.

PANAMA (June 14, 2023) -- The commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson joins Panamanian Minister of Public Security Juan Pino, senior leaders, and Panamanian security personnel to discuss Women, Peace, and Security integration and the professionalization of security forces during a roundtable June. 14.

Graphic depicting updates from U.S. military support to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Text: At the request of the government of Haiti and in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Joint Task Force-Haiti conducted foreign disaster assistance operations Aug. 15 - Sept. 2 to aid victims of a devastating earthquake in Haiti’s Southern Claw as part of a whole-of-government effort. 19 helicopters, 6 ships and 8 transport aircraft. 671 total missions (DoD and U.S. Coast Guard). 587,950 pounds transported. 477 people assisted or rescued. Numbers reflect operations from Aug. 15 - Sept. 2, 2021.

Joint Task Force (JTF)-Haiti completed its final mission in support of the earthquake response.

An overhead image captured by Navy P-8 Poseidon shows the offload and delivery of earthquake aid transported from a U.S Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey.

We are poised to direct U.S. military forces to help a nation in the aftermath of a disaster. Any such mission is in support of U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which serves as the lead U.S. federal agency for foreign disaster relief efforts.

Support must be requested by the host nation. Under our direction, U.S. military forces support the comprehensive U.S. government disaster response approach led by USAID/BHA.

U.S. forces have helped partner nations in dire need numerous times. The most significant recent operation was in Haiti following a devastating earthquake in 2021, where U.S. forces, at the request of the government of Haiti, supported U.S. foreign disaster assistance to aid victims in Haiti's Southern Claw as part of a whole-of-government effort Aug. 15 - Sept. 2.