At the request of the Kingdom of Thailand, more than 100 U.S. Army, Marine, Air Force and Navy servicemembers from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command deployed to Thailand March 28 to April 4 to assist Thai military and first responders in search and rescue efforts after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake affected Thailand and its neighbor countries.
The U.S. military contingent included specialized search and rescue personnel from the U.S Army and U.S. Air Force who possess extensive rescue expertise, two unmanned aircraft systems with thermal detection capability, and U.S. Army Engineers and U.S. Navy Seabees with expertise in structural security. These assets and personnel are invaluable to humanitarian aid and disaster response operations.
Units that supported rescue efforts include: U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen from the 31st Rescue Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan; Special Tactics Airmen and additional personnel from the 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena AB, Japan; U.S. Navy Seabees from Commander, Task Force – 75, U.S. 7th Fleet; special operations personnel from Special Operations Command – Pacific; U.S. Army engineers from the 25th Infantry Division and the 130th Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel.
Alongside Thai counterparts, Army and Air Force special operations and rescue personnel provide a wide array of capabilities critical to disaster response, including communications, logistics and medical expertise and civil-military engagement acumen. Military engineers are adept in wreckage and rubble stabilization techniques, which provide risk mitigation for personnel extraction teams to search for survivors.
USINDOPACOM personnel primarily supported rescue efforts at the site of the collapsed State Audit Office building in Bangkok. Servicemembers arrived in Thailand between the 28th and 30th of March to deliver critical aid and support to Thailand partners in the Indo-Pacific and began to retrograde on April 4.
Consistent training and exercises with Allies and partners ensure USINDOPACOM forces are capable and ready to rapidly respond to disasters and humanitarian crises throughout the region.
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