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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| American Troops Leave Haiti |
| 2010-06-01 |
| WASHINGTON—The bulk of U.S. military forces will depart Haiti on Tuesday, leaving United Nations forces and civilian groups to help the country rebuild its devastated capital in the wake of January's deadly earthquake. The departure, which was agreed upon by the U.S. and Haitian governments and long anticipated, signals that "we have reached a basic level of sustainment in Haiti," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley in an interview on Monday. "The military played an essential short-term role, but now this is getting back to where the focus is on development, and that expertise rests in the civilian sector." The U.S. will remain involved in assisting Haiti through the U.S. Agency for International Development, the lead agency coordinating the U.S. response, U.N. efforts and nonprofit groups, U.S. officials said. In addition, 500 National Guard troops will be stationed in Haiti for several months to help construct schools, clinics, and community centers, while medical staff aboard the USS Iwo Jima will offer continued medical care to Haitians when the ship arrives in the Port-de-Paix area in July. Gen. Doug Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, which is based in Miami and runs the Haiti mission, said in a statement that these projects "demonstrate our continued support to the people of Haiti. We also have a robust capability to rapidly respond to any future disaster situation in Haiti." An aide to Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said the transition was discussed and jointly agreed to by the Haitian and U.S. governments. She said the right U.S. teams "will be here to do the necessary work for agreed upon projects." The country faces numerous challenges as it tries to recover from the January quake, which left more than 230,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands injured. An immediate issue will be ensuring the safety of the country's 9.9 million residents during the coming rainy and hurricane season, which runs from June through November. More than two million people—mostly in the capital, Port-au-Prince—were displaced by the quake, and hundreds of thousands still live in tents or other temporary shelters that could be affected by flooding. U.S. and U.N. forces have worked together to move people living in locations subject to flooding, and U.S. Navy engineers have helped shore up nine settlement camps, clearing canals and putting down gravel, among other measures. Other challenges include beginning reconstruction of damaged buildings and roads, getting children back into schools, and ensuring residents have access to clean water and food. The country is also slated to hold national elections that had been postponed by the quake before year-end. There are currently about 500 U.S. military personnel stationed in Haiti, a big decrease from the 22,000 or so at the peak of the effort. They have helped with everything from transporting supplies to reopening the airport to providing medical services and performing surgeries. According to USAID, humanitarian assistance to Haiti by USAID and the Department of Defense so far has totaled $1.08 billion, including $460 million from the Department of Defense. The State Department and USAID have asked for $1.64 billion in additional funding to assist Haiti; the request is pending before Congress. "The U.S. military presence in Haiti was extremely useful... [but] we are still at the emergency phase," said David Wimhurst, director of public information for the U.N.'s stabilization mission in Haiti, based in Port-au-Prince. "It is going to take the country 10 years to pick itself up and do some smart reconstruction," he added. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #6 In other news....decivilization progresses. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-06-01 15:16 |
| #5 Too bad we can't just give the place to the Dominicans. Not that they'd be willing to take it. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-06-01 12:20 |
| #4 Not to mention that Congress that writes the procurement laws makes it a criminal offense to simply go down to Sears and buy craftsman hammers which are cheaper than the bids submitted. Tag on that Sears et al get fed up with complying in filing all sorts of 'mother may I' paper work to adhere to some PC program pushed by some inadequate Congresscritter and you get those 1000 dollar impact devices. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-06-01 11:54 |
| #3 Blame that on MILSPEC, low ordering quantities, and a limited number of 'vetted' vendors (thanks, GSA!). |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-06-01 11:10 |
| #2 Dunno, Bobby. The USAF was purchasing "manual impact devices" for almost $1000 in the late 80s. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-06-01 10:47 |
| #1 but now this is getting back to where the focus is on development, and that expertise rests in the civilian sector. Durn military was gettin' in the way of the graft. Corruption is the expertise in the civilian sector. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-06-01 06:34 |