Operation Christmas Drop, long-running airlift operation and military exercise for natural disaster response

Read Operation Christmas Drop Part 1: Local Perspectives

Read Operation Christmas Drop Part 2: Then and Now

Read Operation Christmas Drop Part 3: Island Liaison Radio Operator

HISTORY OF OCD

According to Andersen Airforce Base, “Operation Christmas Drop is the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation. The tradition began during the Christmas season in 1952 when a B-29 Superfortress aircrew saw islanders waving at them from the island of Kapingamarangi, 3,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. In the spirit of Christmas, the aircrew dropped a bundle of supplies attached to a parachute to the islanders below, giving the operation its name. Today, air drop operations include more than 50 islands throughout the Pacific. “

Over the years, naturally, the Operation just got bigger to the point where it has other allied countries participating in the exercise. In an article in the Air & Space Forces magazines, “United States Air Force and its allies drop thousands of pounds of food, clothes, medical supplies, fishing gear, and toys on remote Pacific island countries such as Micronesia and Palau, where locals often have trouble obtaining necessities.” 

The official site continued, “Operation Christmas Drop is a PACAF event which includes a partnership between the 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan; the 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; 734th Air Mobility Squadron, Andersen AFB of the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; the University of Guam; and the ‘Operation Christmas Drop’ private organization which leads the fundraising and donations for the operation. Andersen is used as a “base camp” to airlift the donated goods to islanders throughout Micronesia.

“Utilizing the Denton Program, which allows private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space available on U.S. military cargo planes to transport humanitarian goods to countries in need, the C-130J Super Hercules crews airdrop food, supplies, educational materials, and toys to islanders throughout the Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of Palau. These islands are some of the most remote locations on the globe spanning a distance nearly as broad as the continental US.”

Now, there were times that their small community on Guam had wanted to be part of such a program, but they didn’t know where to begin to look.

The main site also includes the drop-off sites. Donations can be dropped off in the collection boxes located at the establishments listed below, stated the site.

MASSIVE TRAINING GROUND

“Months leading up to the drop dates, volunteers create donation drop-off boxes and raise money from local businesses and citizens. A week before the drop, volunteer Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, civilians, contractors and families assist in picking up and sorting the donations. After the goods are sorted, riggers from Yokota and Andersen volunteers build dozens of boxes to hold the materials, most containing school supplies, clothing, rice, fishing equipment and toys.

“Each year, the Christmas drops serve as a proving ground for the techniques used and shared with regional partners in preparation for response to natural disasters all too common across this region.

“Air crews are linked to the village via ham radio as they fly overhead and drop supplies. The event provides readiness training to participating aircrew, allowing them to gain experience in conducting airdrops while providing critical supplies to 56 Micronesian islands impacting about 20,000 people; ultimately it’s a profound win for everyone involved.”

“Low Cost Low Altitude (LCLA) airdrop is incredibly cost-efficient and easy to apply across the global airlift community, utilizing readily available resources and repurposed personnel parachutes to build supply pallets at a fraction of the cost of other airdrop bundles. These pallets are dropped at low altitude to improve drop accuracy.

“Demonstrating and executing LCLA drops alongside regional allies is just one example of the USAF actively pursuing and participating in interoperability partner training to increase Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief operational capabilities while ensuring stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.”