H. Civil Affairs Team Supports Humanitarian Coordination and Medical
Response to Haiti’s 2010 Earthquake (Lesson #2562)
Observation:
Civil Affairs (CA) strengthened the U.S. military’s initial response to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake by acting as
an intermediary between the military and civilian population. This is evident through the work of CA
Team (CAT) 812 which coordinated efforts with other organizations through a humanitarian assistance
coordination center (HACC) and supported initial medical response in outlying areas, saving lives.
Discussion:
On 12 January 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti unaware, causing immense destruction in an
already fragile country. Over 316,000 people were killed and 1 million displaced, many who fled to outlying
areas. As aftershocks continued after the main quake, over 100,000 structures collapsed, and 200,000 more
were damaged, primarily in the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding area. Infrastructure, including
roads, the harbor and airport, and power systems, were destroyed. The earthquake also severely impaired
governance structures of leading organizations which had responsibility to respond to such crises. The
Government of Haiti (GoH) lost 14 of 16 parliamentary buildings, and numerous key officials were
killed. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which had been in country since 2004 to
strengthen governance/stability, lost almost 100 peacekeepers as well as the head of mission.
As soon as the GoH requested U.S. assistance, President Obama pledged U.S. support through a whole-
of-government effort led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD) provided significant support and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief
(HA/DR) to this effort through Operation Unified Response (OUR). In a fortunate circumstance, at the
time of the earthquake, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) deputy commander LTG P. K. (Ken)
Keen was visiting the US Ambassador to Haiti, whose residence survived the quake. SOUTHCOM
appointed General Keen to lead the DOD’s relief efforts through Joint Task Force (JTF)-Haiti. Since
MINUSTAH (a multinational organization) was already in country to conduct security/stability operations,
it was decided to establish a Joint Task Force (JTF) (US forces only) to conduct OUR instead of a
Combined JTF (CJTF). MINUSTAH would continue to provide security/stability tasks, while JTF-Haiti
would focus on the relief and recovery efforts.
JTF-Haiti planned five phases for the U.S. military response to assist Haiti following the earthquake. Phase
I (Initial Response) in Operation Unified Response focused on saving lives and providing relief for
earthquake survivors. Phase II (Relief Operations) began on 5 February to assist displaced persons and
further collaborate with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the GoH, and the UN
(MINUSTAH). Phase III (Restoration), carried out in mid-March, emphasized supporting the GoH and
preparing for the potential of floods and mudslides. Although a Phase IV (Stabilization) was planned, it
was not necessary since the citizens of Haiti maintained civility and MINUSTAH was able to handle any
security incidents. Phase V (Recovery) took place in late May, providing for full transition of
responsibilities back to the GoH, and OUR ended on 1 June.
The U.S. military was the largest contributor to the overall response effort, with over 22,000 personnel
from all services. US Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, and Army Airborne forces executed tasks ranging from
emergency search/rescue to aid distribution and the evacuation of US citizens. While conventional forces
focused on providing relief to Port-au-Prince and the surroundings, Joint Forces Special Operations
Component Command-Forward (JFSOCC-FWD) was responsible for response to the rest of the
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