JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- The 71st iteration of the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian assistance mission kicks off Dec. 4, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, with participating Airmen from the U.S. and five partner nations.
Operation Christmas Drop is an annual U.S. Air Force tradition of packaging and delivering donated supplies such as food, fishing equipment, schoolbooks, and clothing to more than 20 thousand islanders across 56 remote islands throughout the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.
The weeklong international effort allows Pacific Air Forces Airmen from the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan; the 36th Wing, Andersen AFB, Guam; and the 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to work with partner nation Airmen to plan and execute low-cost, low-altitude air drops, improving critical interoperability and communication for future real-world humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
The aerial delivery enables aircrews to develop and maintain combat readiness through aircraft generation and recovery across a remote region of the Pacific Ocean where these islands are spread out in an area almost the size of the continental United States.
“Operation Christmas Drop continues to be an important annual tradition meant to deliver valuable humanitarian assistance to those in need, and we are excited to launch and execute OCD 22 as part of a joint effort with our allies and partners in the region,” said Col. Andrew Roddan, 374th Airlift Wing commander.
“OCD 2022 represents a significant opportunity to exercise and support aircraft generation and for our C-130J aircrews to work closely with our international partners to deliver aid to the most remote locations across the Indo-Pacific. This operation helps to hone critical skills necessary to ensure successful response to disaster and humanitarian crises in the region, and we look forward to continuing our successful joint efforts in support of humanitarian aid delivery.”
For more information and news on Operation Christmas Drop, visit http://www.andersen.af.mil/ocd/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/OperationChristmasDrop.
The general public and members of the media may direct any questions to the OCD22 Combined Joint Information Bureau at 374aw.pa.mediaoperations@us.af.mil or (671) 366-2228.