A Humanitarian Mission Outside of the United States Research Paper

A Humanitarian Mission Outside of the United States - Research Paper Example This paper will deal with an assumed scenario involving the deployment of troops to assist in a humanitarian mission outside of the United States. An earthquake has hit Guam on July 17, 2012, around 0200 EST. The earthquake has had a devastating effect on the entire country. Initial reports suggest that around 1,000 people are dead while hundreds of other people are missing. It is expected that thousands more are now homeless and will require food, immediate medical attention as well as rehabilitation. The situation in Guam resembles a humanitarian crisis in the making. The government of Guam has notified the United States government regarding the earthquake and has asked for humanitarian assistance. The country is currently in a state of emergency and any help is welcome. The President of the United States is expected to shortly get to the airwaves to address the situation in Guam. Meanwhile, a decision has been made to send in troops from the United States Marine Core (USMC) and the United States Navy in order to help the people of Guam. There is little doubt that the situation in Guam is a humanitarian crisis. All efforts need to be made to ensure that this humanitarian crisis does not turn into a humanitarian disaster. There are a number of different problems that must be tackled simultaneously in order to deal with the situation in Guam. On the one hand, troops must be mobilized along with their equipment for short-term measures while, on the other hand, long-term planning such as rehabilitation has to be initiated as well. One method of dealing with this situation could be to take action as needs become apparent. However, this approach would be wasteful in terms of costs as well as repeated tasks. The real method of dealing with this situation is to initiate Crisis Action Planning (CAP).