Pacom Supports Partnership, Stability Through Health Engagements

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii  – U.S. Pacific Command is helping to build stability and security in the Asia-Pacific one inoculation, one cataract surgery and one first-responder training class at a time.

That’s the way Navy Rear Adm. Raquel Cruz Bono, the command’s top surgeon, views the impact of the full array of medical outreach activities Pacom and its Army, Navy and Air Force components conduct across its area of responsibility.

Bono sees security as among the essential components of the American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. And at its very base are the essentials of life: food, clothing, shelter -- and health.

“The medical element is so critical,” she told American Forces Press Service at her headquarters here. “Without health, it is difficult to advance, not only your own personal goals and objectives, but it is really hard to participate in your country’s national goals and objectives.”

At a time of huge economic growth across the Asia-Pacific -- an area spanning half the globe -- Bono is concerned that the region’s health infrastructure hasn’t always kept up.

“Growth doesn’t necessarily equate to development,” she said. “So, perhaps the No. 1 challenge for a lot of the countries in the AOR is being able to develop that health infrastructure -- things like emergency medical response, blood banking and having a medical system that supports some of the disease burden that a country may be experiencing.”

Pacom has a long history of medical support across the region and a vast portfolio of medical-related activities.

The U.S. hospital ship USNS Mercy is three months into the Pacific Partnership mission, U.S. Pacific Fleet’s largest annual humanitarian and civic-action mission. It includes engagements in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, all conducted by military and civilian medical and dental professionals, veterinarians, and engineering personnel from the United States and 11 other countries, as well as nongovernmental and international agencies.

Operation Pacific Angel is another recurring Pacom-sponsored joint, combined humanitarian assistance mission. Led by Pacific Air Forces, it includes medical, dental, optometry, veterinary and engineering programs, as well as subject matter experts to provide guidance on infection control and basic life support procedures.

While offering vital medical services, these and other, smaller-scale medical outreach programs help build capacity within host nations’ medical systems, Bono said.

“You have to include health at every turn if you really want to be able to partner in a meaningful way,” she said. “We are building relationships with the military medical departments in other countries in our AOR, and looking for opportunities, through their eyes, of where we can come in and partner with them and either help bridge some of the things that they are trying to do … or be able to collaborate with them and their local health officials to augment …or build up their capability.”

Laos is one of the success stories, she said. Through a combination of equipment provided through the foreign military sales program and training support, Pacom helped the Laotian government establish a blood donation center -- with a second one planned in another province -- and develop its blood bank system.

“Over the course of just a few years, they have advanced their expertise [and] have increased the number of units of blood that they collect, which can better support the population there,” Bono said. “This is a great example of how we can go in, develop a relationship, determine what the needs are of the population, and then contribute to supporting that population by bringing in expertise and helping the local health community.”

These exchanges, she said, also help build a foundation for a faster, better-coordinated response in the event of a natural disaster.

“When we look at our health engagements, we want to be sure we are not only helping the development of health infrastructure and capability and capacity in the area,” Bono said, “but also to help build resilience so that, in the event of a natural disaster or any other kind of catastrophic event, that we assisted a country in its ability to respond and recover more quickly.”

Sitting in the middle of the earthquake-prone “Ring of Fire,” Pacom is no stranger to natural disasters and frequently plays a role in humanitarian assistance and disaster responses.

During Operation Tomodachi, triggered by the earthquake, tsunami and radiological disaster that devastated Japan in March 2011, Pacom and its service components provided help ranging from hands-on medical care to logistical support to advisory and consequence-management assistance.

“We had access to a broad range of expertise and were able to advise and support, and also to be able to help guide the policymaking [decisions],” Bono said. “But our primary role here at Pacom was to make sure we were coordinating a response and that we were managing the consequences in being able to project what needed to happen.”

Preparing for the next natural disaster -- which officials here agree is a matter of when, not if -- is a top priority across Pacom. For Bono, that means being ready to provide a medical response.

“The military has had a very long history of being able to respond in the event of a humanitarian assistance or disaster relief event,” she said. “Our challenge is to be able to respond very quickly to the call when that occurs.”

The medical staff regularly trains, both within the command and with partners and allies, to keep their disaster-response skills high.

For example, this year’s Rim of the Pacific, the world’s largest, multinational maritime exercise, included the first humanitarian and disaster relief scenario, including a mass casualty drill.

Airmen based at Yokota Air Base, Japan, recently completed aeromedical evacuation training, practicing the techniques of loading patients onto litters, moving them on and off helicopters and providing in-flight patient care.

Bono said she’s excited that Pacom’s “rebalance” in the region will enhance its ability to train with partner nations and build capability and relationships that cross interagency and international lines.

Doing so, she said, will increase opportunities for the U.S. military to collaborate with partner nations and help them achieve their health-related priorities.

“By strengthening their own domestic agenda, we often are able to contribute to their own economic and domestic stability,” she said. “That, in turn, allows them to participate with us in ensuring regional stability.

“And that is really what will then help us ensure that we have an AOR that is stable, that is prosperous and that continues to grow -- and is a real partner in the globalization of the economy and other efforts, worldwide.”

Panetta Praises U.S.-Japan Alliance

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan, Oct. 24, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today cited the importance of America’s alliance with Japan in maintaining peace and security across the Pacific region.

During a town hall meeting with some 200 U.S. and Japanese troops gathered in the 459th Airlift Squadron hangar, Panetta said the U.S.-Japan alliance stretches more than 50 years and is, in many ways, the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Pacific.

“And it will be for the next 50 years as well,” he added.

In line with President Barack Obama’s strategic guidance, U.S. defense forces will maintain and build on regional relationships with Japan and other countries, the secretary said.

“I just had the opportunity to be in Indonesia and meet with the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] defense ministers,” he noted. “And I conveyed the same message to them: the United States will continue to work with all of them to improve our cooperation, to improve our assistance, and to make sure that we strengthen security for all nations in the Pacific region.”

Panetta commended Japanese and U.S. military forces for their “extraordinary” efforts following the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that struck the island nation in March. Japanese forces rapidly mobilized, organized and brought relief to their fellow citizens at a time of great crisis and peril, the secretary said.

“The world witnessed the strength, the character, and the resilience of the Japanese people, and I pay tribute to Japan,” he said.

The U.S. military’s “great work” in bringing relief to the Japanese people suffering following the earthquake also is a source of pride, Panetta said.

America’s strength, he said, lies in its people serving in uniform at home or in Japan, Afghanistan, Iraq or elsewhere around the globe. “After nearly a decade of war on terrorism, we have significantly weakened al-Qaida and its militant allies,” Panetta said.

The nation’s military and intelligence communities are responsible for that success, Panetta said, but he warned they must keep up the pressure on terrorists.

“Make sure they never have anyplace to hide -- whether it’s Pakistan, whether it’s Yemen, whether Somalia, whether it’s the Maghreb in North Africa,” the secretary said. “We have to keep the pressure on and do what the president said we must do, which is to dismantle, disrupt and defeat al-Qaida and its militant allies. And we will do that.”

With the announced withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces from Iraq by the end of this year, Panetta said, the world must understand the United States will continue to have both a lasting security relationship with Iraq and a troop presence in the Middle East.

“We will continue to work with [Iraq] to establish a normal relationship,” he said, that will provide training and assistance to Iraqi forces. And Panetta emphasized that America will maintain a presence in the Middle East.

“At the same time, for Iran and anybody else who has any other ideas, the United States maintains 40,000 troops in that region,” he noted.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, International Security Assistance Force commander, is successfully planning and conducting the gradual reduction of U.S. forces in Afghanistan leading up to the transfer to Afghan-led security in 2014, Panetta said.

“I believe that we have made great progress there as well, in weakening the Taliban, in building up the Afghan army and police, and in giving the capacity … to secure their country,” he said.

Turning to Libya, Panetta said he commends NATO military forces and their partner militaries for the successful conclusion of the mission there. The Libyan people now have a chance to establish a new country that represents all of its people and also represents their hopes for freedom and self-government, he said.

“All of us can take a great deal of pride in the work that was done to achieve that mission,” he said.

Panetta pointed out all of the progress he noted could not have happened without “the sacrifices of those who were willing to serve.”

“Work remains,” he said. “We’ve got to continue to confront terrorism, … nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, … [and] a whole new battlefield of the future, called ‘cyber.’”

Those challenges, along with rising powers and continued unrest in the Middle East, will be met by an American military that is capable, agile and responsive to threats, the secretary said.

“Most importantly, we have the opportunity to strengthen our presence in the Pacific -- and we will,” he said. “This is an important region. The security of the world, in many ways, is dependent on the security of the Pacific.”

Panetta said his main purpose in visiting the troops was to thank them.

“You are the long arm of American military power,” he said. “You do a tough and a vital job. … I thank you for your service, because America’s strength is in people like you.”

The new greatest generation in America, the one that has gone to war over the last 10 years, includes more than 6,200 who have died and 46,000 who have been wounded in the nation’s service, Panetta said.

“You have done everything you have been asked to do,” he added.

Panetta told the U.S. troops that his duty is “to watch your back,” pledging his support as budget cuts loom.

“As all of you know,” he said, “we’re going to be facing some very challenging fiscal issues in America.”

Panetta said his goals for the defense budget include cutting defense spending without creating a hollow force.

“Most importantly, I am not going to break faith with the people who serve in uniform, who put their lives on the line time and time and time again,” the secretary said. “I commit to you that I will do everything I can to protect the benefits that were promised to you and to your families. That’s essential to our commitment to you, for what you have done for America.”

The secretary shook hands and presented a commemorative coin to each American and Japanese service member present.

This is Panetta’s first trip to Asia as defense secretary. He is in Japan after a visit to Indonesia, and he will travel to South Korea later this week. The Japan leg of his trip will continue with scheduled meetings with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Foreign Affairs Minister Koichiro Gemba and Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa.

En route to Japan, a senior defense official told reporters traveling with the secretary that the topics of discussion for those meetings will range from arms exports and ballistic missile defense to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology and U.S. troop basing in Japan.

Biden Thanks Yokota Airmen for Helping Japan

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Desiree Economides

374th Airlift Wing

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan, Aug. 24, 2011 – Vice President Joe Biden thanked about 1,000 military and civilian personnel from Japan’s Kanto Plains here today for their role during Operation Tomodachi, partnering with agencies worldwide to provide assistance in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The vice president stopped at Yokota during his nine-day tour to China, Mongolia and Japan, where he met with key leaders to discuss a full range of bilateral, regional and international issues.

"I've visited military bases all over the world, and what you did here in Japan over the past few months is nothing short of astounding," Biden said. "I come here for a simple reason, on behalf of the president and myself, to say, ‘Thank you. Thank you not only for saving thousands of lives. Thank you for making America look as good as we are.’"

The vice president shared about his pride in the service members for their role in aiding the people of Japan.

"All the American people are in awe of what you do day in and day out, especially when you rise to the occasion of the most difficult times," he said. "You guys are awe-inspiring. You were part of the largest humanitarian relief efforts in U.S. history. It was a truly monumental operation."

Biden noted the importance of the relationship between the United States and Japan, and he told the service members and civilians they have an essential role in that partnership.

"The role you all play is going to become increasingly important, and our alliance with Japan will be more important than in the past,” he said. “It continues to be absolutely critical, and you are the glue that holds this all together. You're the ones ensuring this alliance remains effective."

After his remarks, the vice president posed for pictures with service members.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Alicia Greene, 374th Wing staff agency unit deployment manager, said she appreciated Biden’s words of gratitude and encouragement. "It is really great that Vice President Biden took the time to come here and thank us for all that we did during Operation Tomodachi," she said.

Navy Family Members Arrive at Travis Air Force Base

Melinda L. Larson, NAS Lemoore Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (NNS) -- Hundreds of military family members were welcomed to Travis Air Force Base (AFB) following an 11 hour flight from Yokota Air Base, Japan, as part of an authorized voluntary departure of DoD dependents and Navy civilians, March 22.

"We take care of our Sailors. Our job is to make this transition as smooth and efficient as possible for families during this arduous time," said Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore Command Master Chief Matt Laing, who spearheaded the Navy's relief effort at Travis AFB. "These families have been under a lot of stress since the tsunami and we want to make sure they get to where they need to be as quickly as possible."

When the flight arrived at the terminal, weary family members were helped down the aircraft's stairs and assisted through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection process. Orders were written, needs assessed and final destinations determined. The importance of enrollment in the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS) was also stressed.

"This is an unusual circumstance for these family members, so it's important they have all the information they need to make a successful transition," said Garland Whetzler, an exceptional family member liaison from NAS Lemoore's Fleet and Family Support Center. "NFAAS is a vital tool for staying connected and informed, especially now."

Of the 330 Navy family members who arrived, 155 were under the age of 12. For one Navy wife traveling with three kids and a dog from Yokosuka, Japan, the reception at Travis AFB was a welcome relief.

"Everyone has been real friendly getting us through this situation. All the help and the smiles have been wonderful. They've really been catering to the kids," said Angelica Hogan, who was happy to have someone read to her 3-year old at the terminal.

Hogan said she left the island with mixed emotions.

"It was a hard decision to leave," Hogan said.

The trip wasn't quite as emotional for her 12-year old daughter, Chardanae, who's looking forward to getting to her grandmother's house in Jacksonville, Fla.

"I'm just hoping grandma cooks us a Sunday dinner," she said.

The Navy will continue to support relief efforts at Travis AFB.

For more information on the voluntary authorized departure for eligible DoD family members from designated areas in Japan, read NAVADMIN 093/11 at www.npc.navy.mil>

All Sailors or family members who are in need of assistance should utilize the NFAAS support site at www.navyfamily.navy.mil to ensure the Navy can track and assess support requirements for all parties affected.

Navy Fleet and Family Support Center has a 24-hour hotline available to provide family support information at 866-854-0638.