Mission Complete for U.S. C-130, C-17 Aircraft Supporting Flood Relief

October 5, 2010

Islamabad - As flood waters recede and Pakistan's aid delivery shifts focus from air to ground transportation, the Pakistan government informed the U.S. recently that U.S. military C-17 or C-130 aircraft and other international cargo plane airlift support was no longer required. At Pakistan's request and with mission complete for these aircraft, the U.S. military flew its last C-17 and C-130 flood relief flights last weekend.

"Our C-130 and C-17 aircrews were honored to partner with our Pakistani allies in their time of need and rapidly meet their requests for heavy-lift assistance in support of flood relief," said Vice Adm. Mike LeFever, U.S. Defense Representative to Pakistan.  "We remain ready and prepared to support any further requests from the Government of Pakistan if needed again at some future time."

Although the cargo aircraft flights have ended, U.S. commitment to supporting Pakistan's flood relief efforts remains strong. USAID and other U.S. civilian agencies continue to provide humanitarian assistance and recovery assistance throughout Pakistan in support of flood victims.   In addition, U.S. military helicopter relief flights continue to operate from Ghazi Aviation Base near Tarbela and Pano Aqil Air Base near Sukkur, while the U.S. Air Force's contingency response element at Chaklala Air Base continues to support the nationwide distribution of international aid to flood-affected Pakistanis.

From the start, U.S. military C-130 and C-17 aircraft made significant contributions to Pakistan's flood relief.  In addition to the delivery of more than 436,000 halal meals during the early days of the disaster, these aircraft and their aircrews worked in close partnership with Pakistan's military and National Disaster Management Authority to transport more than 5.5 million pounds (nearly 2.5 million kilograms) of much-needed relief supplies to flood victims nationwide. The aircraft were also instrumental in the evacuation of thousands of people from flood-affected regions of Pakistan.

To date, U.S. military personnel and aircraft, working in partnership with the Pakistan military, have delivered more than 14.5 million pounds (6.6. million kilograms) of relief supplies and evacuated more than 21,000 people throughout flood-affected areas.