Not Everyone Thinks The Response To The Haiti Disaster Has Been Satisfactory

SURVIVOR CAMP - U.S. Army soldiers and medical professionals from other relief organizations walk through the survivor camp at the foot of their forward operating base in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 21, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Squadron. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III

Putting The Wrong People In Charge.. -- CDR Salamander

One of my favorite retired Army Generals, Russel L. Honoré, had this to say last week,

The U.S. relief effort after the Haiti earthquake started too slowly and cautiously, says a retired general who led the military relief effort on the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"The next morning after the earthquake, as a military man of 37 years service, I assumed … there would be airplanes delivering aid, not troops, but aid," said retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who coordinated military operations after disaster struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005. "What we saw instead was discussion about, 'Well we've got to send an assessment team in to see what the needs are.' And anytime I hear that, my head turns red."

The problem, Honore told USA TODAY, is that the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, instead of the military, take the lead in international disaster response.

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My Comment: This is a very harsh assessment form Ret. General Russel L. Honoré. Since Katrina, our expectation has evolved to one in which we expect emergency relief to arrive within 48 hours. The reality .... however .... is always the opposite.