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)

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.

OUR PRIORITIES