SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., - U.S. Transportation Command's Web site now provides instructions for nongovernmental or nonprofit organizations seeking airlift or sealift for humanitarian supplies and relief personnel.
"How Do I Get Lift?" is an interactive presentation that steers customers through the process of acquiring qualifying military-provided transportation for cargo or people.
The ongoing crisis in Haiti has led numerous private organizations to request a simple way to navigate through complex U.S. military rules regulating the movement of cargo and passengers, officials said.
"This presentation meets a need in the national humanitarian relief community," said Lance Carpenter, chief of Transcom's Joint Interagency Communication Group. "It will help [nongovernmental organizations] more easily and quickly identify qualifying opportunities to move relief supplies and personnel into places like Haiti.
"The presentation, available at the Web addresshttp://www.transcom.mil/TransportFAQs.ppsx, is a resource guide that allows customers to investigate either air or surface transportation options. Surface transportation includes ship, train and truck, officials explained, adding that sometimes a combination of air and surface transportation is most appropriate.
Clear guidelines - including telephone and e-mail contact information for military transportation experts - streamline the process for organizations seeking to move goods or personnel.
Transcom orchestrates transportation solutions for military and nonmilitary customers through its three components: the Army's Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command and the Navy's Military Sealift Command.