WASHINGTON — Top Pentagon officials said Friday that
the U.S. responded to the Haiti earthquake as quickly as it could and
promised that as many as 10,000 American troops would be in-country and
off-shore by the weekend.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he
anticipated that U.S. ground forces, including soldiers from the 82nd
Airborne Division and theMarine Corps, would take a key role in helping
distribute relief supplies quickly.
U.N. forces, lead by Brazil, will take the lead in
security. Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
said the military would help with that effort but focus on humanitarian
assistance.
“Getting the relief help out there is what we are
focused on right now,” Mullen said. “The initial intent is to
strategically place some of our soldiers so they can help with the relief
distribution.”
The U.S. deployment includes 4,000 to 5,000 sailors on ships
at sea, plus 3,000 soldiers and 2,000 Marines on the ground.
Mullen noted that Coast Guard helicopters and
cutters had begun evacuations within 24 hours of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake
that struck the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday
afternoon. Gates said the pace of the U.S. response has been hindered by the
collapse of infrastructure, problems at the airport and the time it takes ships
to travel.
“I don’t know how this government could have responded
faster or more comprehensively than it has,” Gates said.
Mullen said the military ruled out air drops of troops or
supplies early on. Gates said such an action could have led to riots.
“That seems to me is a formula for contributing to
chaos rather than preventing it,” Gates said.
While there has been some scavenging for food and water,
Gates said the security situation remained good. But he emphasized that the
military was focused on speeding up supply distribution in order to keep that
order.
“The key is to get the food and the water in there as
quickly as possible so that people don’t in their desperation turn to violence
or lead to the security situation deteriorating,” Gates said.
The size of the U.S. force could be increased if commanders
on the ground determine that more troops are necessary. And Gates and Mullen
dismissed suggestions that the forces flowing into the country could be seen as
occupiers.
“Given the role we will have in delivering food, water
and medical help to people, my guess is the reaction will be one of relief of
seeing Americans providing this kind of help,” Gates said.
—
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