Task Force Builds Steam

Joint Task Force Haiti is building up a full head of steam to assist the Haitian people.It consists of 10,000 U.S. troops and 16 ships.The USS Carl Vinson(CVN70) is flagship of the effort.Four U.S. Coast Guard cutters are involved.One of them,USCGC Oak,is leading the port recovery project.Commander Mark Glander says they hope to have the port reopened within 2-3 days,providing a badly needed access point for aid.Piers and cranes were severely damaged by the earthquake.
JTF Haiti is led by Lieutenant General Ken Keen,U.S. Army.He said we need as many troops on the ground as we can get.There are over 7.5 million Haitians.About 2,000 U.S. Marines and 3,000 other personnel,including the 82nd Airborne,will be serving on land.The other 5,000 will be stationed on ships.General Keen is working closely with the U.N. troops who have been in country since before the earthquake.He meets with the U.N. commander daily.The U.N. troops will provide security while the U.S. forces concentrate on logistics and distribution.
The USS Carl Vinson,a Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carrier which has been active in the Afghan war,is using its helicopters to fly relief supplies into Haiti and bring the injured back to the carrier for treatment.The carrier can purify thousands of gallons of water a day.A Navy hospital ship with 250 beds,the USNS Comfort,is arriving soon from Baltimore.