With the US hurricane season officially starting on June 1, the military’s relief efforts are prepped and ready, Adm. Timothy Keating told members of the media attending a US Northern Command Hurricane Preparation Day. Calling last year’s Hurricane Katrina the “first real acid test” for NORTHCOM, Keating said the organization has worked hard to learn a lot from last year’s hurricane season. He added that the command has drafted “prescripted mission assignments” for 18 common capabilities, including damage assessment, medical evacuation, and distribution points—all of which should reduce the time it takes for the military to get requested assets where they need to go.
Clearing jungle and laying asphalt in tropical heat may not sound like fun to most people, but it’s a way of life for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) Airmen, who have spent the past year or so restoring World War II-era airfields on the Pacific…