Measured Maritime Responses to Disaster Relief Scenarios in the Pacific.

摘要

This thesis attempts to determine whether the United States has appropriately scaled its maritime response to humanitarian disasters within the Asia-Pacific region. Has the United States neglected to conduct accurate needs-based assessments and in turn responded to its regional partners with excess military capacity. The presence of excess military capacity presents a number of difficulties and may indicate a failure to properly anticipate the operational environment due to the distinctive humanitarian nature of disaster assistance operations. The thesis examines the U.S. military's maritime responses to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and the 2004 Aceh Earthquake and tsunami in search of consistencies in response and possible instances of excessive force laydowns. The case studies illustrate instances in which U.S. maritime assets did not undertake the role of primary agent in delivering aid and therefore filled operational space with capability that was either excessive or ill suited to the host nation.