[note: per discussions with sir Loki and the ongoing debate in RB's 'blog' thread, I whipped up a short and timely piece for the blog. It has not been published there yet; the text is below. I'm not sure how this vetting process should work, but have at it.]
The Washington Post had an interesting article detailing ‘frictions’ arising between aid agencies and various nations over the transportation bottlenecks in delivering aid to Haiti; notably, US control over the beleaguered airport had ruffled some feathers.
What’s remarkable about the situation, actually, is how quickly the US military was able to establish a sizeable force in the country that is able to direct and control the relief effort. While theoretically under the auspices of the UN’s various agencies (notably surviving elements of MINUSTAH and WFP personnel), the immediate aid distribution is effectively run by the US with contributions from a handful of other countries.
Within a day of the earthquake, a USAF Special Tactics Squadron had secured the chaos at the airport and had reestablished a modicum of control over the airspace and air traffic control. Coast Guard cutters were already offshore and evaluating damage to the port facilities, and major naval forces were already underway – a giant hospital ship was prepping to leave Baltimore, an aircraft carrier was quickly reassigned, and a handful of smaller ships (frigates, amphibious assault vessels, etc.) were speeding towards the island. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, water, and medicines were already being loaded onto transport planes, and thousands of troops were mobilizing for transport to Haiti by the end of the week. Meanwhile, the rest of the global response was piecemeal – a C-17 or C-130 here, a hastily converted passenger plane there. Even the most comprehensive and fastest teams – notably a large Israeli field hospital, and admirably fast reactions from Brazil and Canada – were dwarfed by the size, speed and organization of the US aid effort.
Why did this happen? Part of the reason is the proximity of Haiti to the US, and the relative ease of quickly supplying the island. The much more important cause, though, is that the US is the only country with the ability to mount such an effort. Even strained by two sustained war efforts and countless worldwide deployments, the US logistics system is unrivalled. Pre-positioned stocks of rations and medicines (yes, and weapons) are secreted around the globe. US troops have significant forward bases all over the planet, and most importantly, the US Navy has 11 floating nuclear-powered cities able to render global assistance within a couple days notice. Coupled with the remarkable (albeit strained) airlift capacity of the USAF, it is not surprising that when speedy deployment is needed – whether military or humanitarian – the world looks to the United States. No other country or coalition thereof comes even close.
This is the enduring power of the United States. Its economic power, while still great, is no longer quite as hegemonic as in days of yore, and there is no doubt that we live in a multipolar world. But for the foreseeable future, the US is going to be the most important player in world politics, because it is the only country with the means to respond effectively to an international crisis.
This reality has not gone unnoticed by other aspiring powers, of course. China is looking to drastically reorient its military for projection capability, including opaque plans for a small carrier fleet. Britain and France have never relinquished Great Power ambitions, and continue to fund modest projection capabilities, though much curtailed from their heyday. Russia nurtures hopes of a future renaissance, and currently displays a thin façade of military preparedness. The EU has established ‘rapid reaction forces’ and European nations are urgently attempting to procure transport aircraft (which may be rather difficult in light of a possible cancellation of the A400M). Yet all of these efforts are paltry, underfunded, and lack the support of a large, distributed global logistics network upon which the US relies for fuel, food, weapons, and rapid reaction personnel.
Whether it’s transporting APCs to stop genocide in Rwanda, reversing an invasion of Kuwait, or providing quick, comprehensive humanitarian aid in the wake of disaster, the world looks to the US for help. US policy planners should pay careful heed to this opportunity and responsibility. Continued investment in maintaining this projection infrastructure, and the careful application of worldwide power – both hard and soft – will ensure US dominance of world affairs for decades to come.