U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific partners with regional allies to combat COVID-19
FORUM Staff
United States Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) and its Civil Military Support Elements (CMSEs) continue to coordinate with Indo-Pacific nations to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
The CMSEs work with host governments, militaries and nongovernmental organizations to deliver medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE), testing kits and cold storage units for vaccines.
The U.S. military donations are helping the Philippine government improve its pandemic response, after a lack of PPE and medical equipment led to rising coronavirus case numbers in vulnerable areas such as rural communities isolated from the health care support systems in cities, according to SOCPAC. Local government units in the Philippines intended to distribute donations to areas they identified as most impacted “as soon as possible,” according to SOCPAC. In Manila, the Philippine Coast Guard assisted in organizing PPE and other medical supplies for distribution. (Pictured: U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific Civil Military Support Element and Philippine Coast Guard personnel organize COVID-19 personal protective equipment for distribution.)
In Nepal, the U.S. Embassy helped obtain medical supplies requested by Tibetan refugees. Donations to Tibetan settlements included handwashing stations, PPE and hygiene kits, and medical staff provided assistance.
“These supplies enable proper hygiene and sanitation and strengthen response efforts from the government of Nepal,” according to SOCPAC.
Direct assistance to displaced populations underscores the U.S. commitment to provide immediate humanitarian relief and its commitment to Nepal, SOCPAC said.
Farther north, in Mongolia, the CMSEs presented the Ministry of Health with 55,000 N95 masks, 2,850 boxes of gloves, 20,000 face shields and 30,000 test kits. “The donation supports U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Embassy’s objectives of providing COVID relief and further establishes the U.S. as a third neighbor,” according to SOCPAC, which estimated its donations to Mongolia at more than U.S. $365,000.
SOCPAC said its donations are an ongoing endeavor, allowing partner nations around the Indo-Pacific to provide relief to their citizens. CMSEs have delivered aid to 11 Indo-Pacific nations through 112 projects since the start of the pandemic.
IMAGE CREDIT: U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND PACIFIC
