United States Military Continues Relief Operations in Japan

The United States military continues what may be the largest humanitarian assistance operation in history, called Operation Tomodachi. In coordination with the Japanese Self Defense Force, the U.S. has assigned 19 ships, 140 aircraft and more than 18,000 troops to assist in relief operations in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Large areas of the Japanese island of Honshu, and the surrounding smaller islands, have been destroyed. Homes and businesses are gone. In regions where the tsunami struck, the land remains flooded or covered in a layer of debris. Power is out to much of the northern part of the island and rolling blackouts are being used to conserve power for those who have electricity. The U.S. naval base at Yokosuka has successfully reduced its electrical consumption by 74 percent to assist Tokyo electric in its conservation efforts.

USS Essex landed a relief convoy on Oshima island on March 27. The island was struck by the March 11 tsunami and left without power or any means of access by sea. Essex provided transportation for a number of utility vehicles and 15,000 pounds of food and other relief supplies. 23 Japanese workers were also transported, to begin restoration of local utilities.

The weather has been a factor. High winds, cold, rain and snow have been obstacles that the U.S. military and other relief workers have had to deal with. For the hundreds of thousands of Japanese left homeless, it has been far worse.

The United Nations is reporting that at least 250,000 Japanese are living in over 2,000 evacuation centers. Nearly 11,000 deaths are attributed to the disaster and about 18,000 remain missing.

The voluntary departure program for U.S. military dependents from Japan is winding down. Over 7,000 people and 394 pets have been transported to the United States or other "safe havens".

The U.S. navy is working with the Japanese Navy to open a number of ports that had to be closed due to damage from the tsunami. Navy divers and the salvage vessel USNS Safeguard have finished their work at the Port of Hachinohe, clearing the way for an LNG carrier to dock and unload its vital cargo. Among the hazards removed were vehicles, a small building and portions of destrouyed piers. The units are moving now to the port of Miyako and are also consulting at Oshima island.

Fleet Activities Yokosuka has provided two barge loads of fresh water for use at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The 500,000 gallons of fresh water will be used in cooling efforts, replacing sea water which had created corrosion concerns at the damaged nuclear plant.

Upstate New York resident Charles Simmins brings 30 years of accounting and finance experience and a keen interest in military affairs to the news of the day. His years of experience working with the personnel of the Secretary of Defense's New Media activity on Bloggers' Roundtables provide insights often overlooked by other reporters.