Operation Pacific Angel set to begin

  • Published
  • By Capt. Genieve David
  • 13th Air Force Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  The United States will join local authorities in three Pacific nations in July and September to provide medical, dental, and engineering assistance as part of Operation Pacific Angel 2009. 

More than 150 joint and combined U.S. Air Force and Army total force members will fly via Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs, C-130 Hercules, and KC-135 Stratotankers into Indonesia and Timor Leste July 10-24, to join local non-governmental organizations, and host-nation militaries in civic-assistance efforts. 

Operation Pacific Angel is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance operation conducted in the Pacific area of responsibility to support U.S. Pacific Command's capacity-building efforts. This humanitarian and civic assistance program is aimed at improving military civic cooperation between the United States, Indonesia, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. 

The operation consists of several military assistance programs to include aeromedical evacuation subject matter expert exchanges, as well as medical, dental, and engineering civic assistance programs. Pacific Angel also trains civil-military operators to work together with a focus on civic assistance Operation Pacific Angel 2009 will be conducted in two iterations. The first will have concurrent operations at Kupang, West Timor, in Indonesia, and Dili City, Timor Leste. The second will be conducted in September in Vietnam. 

Participating U.S. units include Pacific Air Forces, 13th Air Force, and the 204th Airlift Squadron from the Hawaii Air National Guard, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; U.S. Army Dental Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; 36th Wing, Andersen AFB, Guam; 141st Air Refueling Wing from the Washington Air National Guard, Fairchild AFB, Wash., 176th Wing from the Alaska Air National Guard, Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska; and the 168th Air Refueling Wing from the Alaska Air National Guard, Eielson AFB, Alaska.