SELF-DEFENSE FORCES TO ASSIST IN RECONSTRUCTION

摘要

The main party of the Self-Defense Forces has been dispatched to give assistance to the people of Iraq. The Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) transport ship Osumi and the escort vessel Murasame left the port of Muroran, Hokkaido, on the morning of Fe bruary 20, bound for Kuwait, On board were supplies, machinery and vehicles of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) teams which will be giving humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq. The dispatch of the MSDF follows the dispatch of teams from the Ground and Air Self-Defense Forces in accordance with the Law Concerning Special Measures on Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance in Iraq. It is the first time since the 1991 Gulf War, over ten years ago, that the MSDF has been dispatched, and the first time since their formation that the three Self-Defense Forces--Ground, Air and Maritime--have all been dispatched together. It will be a test of their ability to act together.