Site Provides Instructions for Transporting Aid

By Army Maj. James Lowe
Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 27, 2010 - U.S. Transportation Command's Web site now provides instructions for nongovernmental or nonprofit organizations seeking airlift or sealift for humanitarian supplies and relief personnel. "How Do I Get Lift?" is an interactive presentation that steers customers through the process of acquiring qualifying military-provided transportation for cargo or people.

The ongoing crisis in Haiti has led numerous private organizations to request a simple way to navigate through complex U.S. military rules regulating the movement of cargo and passengers, officials said.

"This presentation meets a need in the national humanitarian relief community," said Lance Carpenter, chief of Transcom's Joint Interagency Communication Group. "It will help [nongovernmental organizations] more easily and quickly identify qualifying opportunities to move relief supplies and personnel into places like Haiti.

"The presentation, available at the Web address http://www.transcom.mil/TransportFAQs.ppsx, is a resource guide that allows customers to investigate either air or surface transportation options. Surface transportation includes ship, train and truck, officials explained, adding that sometimes a combination of air and surface transportation is most appropriate.

Clear guidelines -- including telephone and e-mail contact information for military transportation experts -- streamline the process for organizations seeking to move goods or personnel.

Transcom orchestrates transportation solutions for military and nonmilitary customers through its three components: the Army's Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command and the Navy's Military Sealift Command.

(Army Maj. James Lowe serves in the U.S. Transportation Command public affairs office.)