Defense Secretary Robert Gates is telling anyone who'll listen that the U.S. military is demonstrating in Haiti its unparalleled capability in dealing with humanitarian disasters, according to Donna Miles of the American Forces Press Service.
For its part, the Defense Department has pledged up to $20 million in emergency relief funds for Haiti, and sprang troops into action following the quake, with the U.S. military footprint there expected to grow in the coming days.
"To get the number of ships and the number of people and the supplies forward as quickly as we have, I think, speaks to the capability of the military," he said.
"Frankly, I don't think there is anybody in the world better at it than the American military."
Lessons learned supporting a long string of humanitarian crises missions around the world have sharpened this capability, Gates said. He cited the U.S. military role following the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, a major earthquake in Pakistan in 2005 and devastating hurricanes in Haiti.
"So we end up doing this with some regularity," he said, with each disaster presenting different challenges. "But we obviously learn each time."
That storehouse of experience is proving critical in Haiti, where a massive logistics operation is under way to get food and water to the populace, writes Ms. Miles in her report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
Gates reiterated concern that the situation in Haiti could turn violent if adequate sustenance doesn't reach people soon.
Although more secure landing areas have been established for helicopters to drop provisions, the secretary emphasized that airdrops alone can't meet the needs of 2 million Haitians. Ground transportation within Port-au-Prince remains challenging, he said.
In addition to the US military, there are numerous U.S. police officers involved in search and rescue operations and in triaging victims for medical treatment. For example, 40 New York City cops -- working with 40 New York firefighters -- are involved solely in search and rescue along with their four K-9 units, according to a press statement from the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
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