United States team Heads to Toronto for 2017 Invictus Games

The Department of Defense is providing media representatives the opportunity to interview the more than 80 athletes who will compete on the United States team at the Invictus Games in Toronto, Ontario, Sept. 23-30, 2017.

Senior Department of Defense leaders will also be in Toronto for the games and available for media engagement opportunities.

Media interested in this opportunity may contact Ms. Laura Ochoa, DoD Spokesperson and Team US Media Director at (571) 236-2919 or laura.c.ochoa.civ@mail.mil. Onsite media opportunities will also be coordinated out of the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto beginning Sept. 22.

The Invictus Games, founded in 2014 by the United Kingdom’s Prince Harry, is based on the United States’ concept of the Warrior Games and is designed to use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding of and respect for those who serve their country and their loved ones.

More than 550 wounded, ill and injured servicemen and women from 17 allied nations are expected to compete. Competitors will participate in 12 adaptive sports, including archery, athletics, indoor rowing, powerlifting, road cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair rugby, and the latest addition to the sports lineup, golf.

Follow all the home team using the following hashtags:  #IAM, #InvictusGames, and #IG2017.  Catch the live action and see the complete list of all sporting events at http://www.invictusgames2017.com/.

Northcom Providing Disaster Relief Following Hurricane Maria

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Sept. 21, 2017 — U.S. Northern Command is fully engaged with federal, state, and local mission partners as the command provides support to the response efforts for Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.

Northcom has begun search and rescue and damage assessment flights in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with six Navy helicopters and three U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft launched from the USS Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group. Additionally, a Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, launched from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, is conducting an assessment of the damage in Puerto Rico.

Navy and Marine Corps forward ground elements also responded at first light today to assist with response and recovery operations. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is inserting a forward coordination element and air control element into St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to help open the airfield and coordinate with the defense coordinating officer and National Guard at the joint force headquarters there. The 26th MEU will also insert an air control element in the airport at St. Thomas in order to help open the airfield, as Defense Department elements are focused on airfield assessments and opening runways to facilitate commodity distribution. Life saving and life sustaining efforts in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico continue to be a top priority as well.

U.S. Transportation Command has postured C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft on three-hour alert to support quick movement of supplies and personnel to and from the affected area. DoD is also providing Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, as a FEMA incident support base and forward staging area.

Northcom's mission is to assist the lead federal relief agencies in aiding those affected by natural disasters to minimize suffering while continuing its mission of defending the U.S.

Southcom Commander: Military Hurricane Assistance Fast, Flexible

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2017 — The strength and force of recent hurricanes in the Caribbean left historic levels of devastation on several island nations and territories in the region, said Navy Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command.

“These disasters underscore our [interconnectedness] and the importance of strong partnerships,” the admiral told reporters at a media roundtable today.

“It’s truly been a team effort among us and partner nation militaries, governments, federal agencies, and all those involved to move rapidly and to get support where it is needed the most,” he said.

Military Capabilities

Tidd said the U.S. military’s assistance was requested because of its “unique capabilities and the speed and flexibility that are needed most in the critical, early stages of disaster relief operations.”

Because some of the affected islands are United States territories, U.S. Northern Command in Colorado has been supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies’ aid to Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, Tidd said.

Southcom is working with its lead federal agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in addition to the State Department on requests for foreign disaster assistance from a number of nations most heavily damaged by the storms, he said.

Joint Task Force Leeward Islands

Southcom deployed Joint Task Force Leeward Islands to Puerto Rico on Sept. 9 to support the evacuation of U.S. citizens and to provide assistance to the Dutch and French militaries on St. Maarten/St. Martin. To date, U.S. military forces have evacuated 2,073 American citizens from St. Maarten/St. Martin and Anguilla, a DoD report indicated.

Since its deployment, the task force has purified more than 21,000 gallons of water, distributed more than 7,000 gallons, and delivered nine water purification systems and high-capacity fork lifts and vehicles to help the French and Dutch governments.

“[The task force] is now working with French and Dutch authorities again to resume support of relief operations as quickly as conditions permit,” Tidd said.

U.S. is Compassionate

“Our country is a compassionate, generous and caring nation with a long history of aiding those around the world who are impacted by disasters,” the Southcom commander said.

“We are proud to support disaster assistance that helps nations save lives, mitigate suffering and transition as quickly as possible from response to recovery,” he added.

Tidd says it is anticipated that U.S. military support will decline as international relief efforts progress and as experienced relief organizations assume active roles supporting these islands’ governments.

“Transitioning tasks to our host nation and civilian partners will occur as rapidly as possible,” he said.