Nepalese Army, USAF work with Bangladesh, Indian air forces to process relief supplies

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White
  • Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs
KATHMANDU, Nepal --  The Nepalese Army and U.S. Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group demonstrated cooperative international working relationships while supporting multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions here May 7.

The soldiers and Airmen worked side-by-side with military members from the Bangladesh Air Force and Indian Air Force to process cargo from their aircraft arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, to provide disaster relief following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation April 25.

"In this high operations tempo, working side-by-side with our partners exemplifies our interoperability with other countries in the region," said Capt. Asim Khan, U.S. Pacific Air Forces South Asia country director. "We're all working together for the same reason -- to assist the government of Nepal's effort to distribute aid to the people who are in need of it."

In the early morning, the soldiers and Airmen offloaded a Bangladesh Air Force C-130 Hercules. All three nations worked together to download five cargo pallets containing 25,089 pounds of relief supplies.

Shortly thereafter, the soldiers and Airmen turned around to help transport 12 generators weighing 15,000 pounds total from an Indian Air Force IL-76 cargo aircraft.

"It was a great experience getting to work with all three countries because they were very friendly and we worked well together," said Tech. Sgt. Derrick McCall, 36th Mobility Response Squadron ramp coordinator. "We all pitched in to get the job done and it went smoothly and quickly, which is especially important so the people of Nepal can get aid sooner."

Khan said that while he was talking to the Bangladesh Air Force members, who have been flying relief missions here for more than a week, they mentioned the average turnaround time for offloading cargo was four hours, but the teamwork between the Nepalese Army and the U.S. Airmen cut the time down to a mere 30 minutes.

"We're working with the Nepalese Army to help facilitate the expeditious flow of cargo through the airfield and onwards," Khan said. "This multinational effort demonstrates our effectiveness and capabilities in inter-Air Forces operations and how coming together to work for the same cause is vital to relief success."

The 36th CRG arrived in Nepal from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 5.