Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar – Airmen from 9th Air Force, Air Forces Central concluded support to the U.S. Agency for International Development-led humanitarian mission to Pakistan on Sep. 16, 2022, after the country experienced historic levels of flooding.
C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and C-130 Hercules aircraft from Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, delivered more than 1.5 million pounds of supplies in support of the USAID’s mission to provide supplies to displaced families from Sep. 8 to Sep. 16, 2022, to three locations in Pakistan.
“When you look at the statistics and what this team was able to accomplish, it speaks to the capability of our coalition of service members we have in this AOR,” said Royal Canadian Air Force Brigadier-General David Moar, Combined Air Operations Center director, 609th Air Operations Center. “Both the effect and the relief this initiative provided to Pakistan in their time of need reinforces our roles in this theater of operations.”
In total, AFCENT, the lead for the Department of Defense in this mission, flew 22 missions; 15 of which were relief missions, carrying 197 pallets of USAID relief supplies including 41,220 kitchen sets; 1,500 rolls of plastic sheeting; 35,000 plastic tarps, and 8,700 shelter-fixing kits. Additional missions transported assessment team members and advanced teams to posture for accepting the deliveries which occurred at Pakistan Air Base Nur Khan, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Sukkur Airport and Karachi Airport.
“These missions exemplify AFCENT’s ability to rapidly move Airmen and equipment to and from dispersed locations, while demonstrating our agility by quickly shifting between multiple airfields to meet our Partner’s needs,” said Col. Isaac Adams, Air Mobility Division chief, 609th AOC.
The logistical effort involved collaboration between USAID, the U.S. State Department, regional partners, Air Mobility Command, Transportation Command, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the Office of Defense Representatives-Pakistan and U.S. and coalition members assigned to AFCENT operating out of AUAB, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and 379th, 380th, and 386th Air Expeditionary Wings.
“Our condolences go out to those individuals affected by the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan,” said Adams, who served as AFCENT’s lead for the DoD’s support of USAID humanitarian relief efforts in Pakistan. “We stand with our regional partners and remain committed to supporting this region. The team’s swift airlift of USAID supplies to Pakistan is evidence of this commitment.”