Korean Air Force joins Operation Christmas Drop for second year

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Korean Air Force joins Operation Christmas Drop for second year

Published: 29 Nov. 2022, 16:24

Air Force personnel pose for a photo on Wednesday, a day before their departure for Guam to join a U.S.-led multinational humanitarian airlift operation, in this photo provided by the armed service. [NEWS1]

Korea's Air Force said Tuesday it will participate in a U.S.-led multinational humanitarian operation in Guam, an effort to enhance its airlift and other operational capabilities.

It sent a C-130 transport plane and around 30 service members to Operation Christmas Drop, an annual event that the U.S. Pacific Air Forces is set to host at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam from Tuesday through Dec. 12.

Started in 1952, the operation is the U.S. military's longest-running airlift mission designed to deliver basic necessities to residents of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. This year, it involves troops from South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The Korean team departed for Guam earlier in the day. After a preliminary training session at the Guam base, it plans to engage in a mission to airlift medicine, clothes and other basic necessities to islanders in Micronesia from Sunday through Dec. 9.

"The participating troops will package, load and unload supplies and airlift them with an aim to enhance combined airlift capabilities," the Air Force said in a press release.

Korea has participated in the annual operation since last year at the invitation of the U.S. Air Force.

Yonhap