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Helping People

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Helping people is an important part of U.S. European Command’s mission. Its humanitarian assistance and disaster relief work improves living conditions and places partner nations on a trajectory toward long-term, self-sustaining capability. Department of Defense humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supports regional security cooperation. For young eastern European nations still recovering from military conflicts and rebellions and building up essential services and disaster management capabilities, this is particularly true. Helping people is EUCOM’s way to foster good will and bring further stability to the region.

Rather than directly providing aid during humanitarian aid missions, EUCOM is more often a facilitator helping the host nation, NGOs and U.S. governmental agencies do their jobs better. Additionally, EUCOM plays an important role in empowering partner nations before trouble starts. It helps partners plan and prepare thereby mitigating or more effectively responding to disasters. EUCOM often works with these young governments to develop critical infrastructure that improves the underlying living conditions of the civilian populace.

EUCOM’s role in humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness programs is authorized via Title 10 USC 2557/256. The goals are to help avert humanitarian crises, promote democratic development and regional stability, and enable countries to recover from conflict – basically minimize the potential for crises to develop or escalate further. Funded through Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Appropriations and EUCOM’s own Operation and Maintenance funds, support activities can include assessments, training, construction projects, well drilling, medical assistance and transportation of non-lethal DoD excess property—all with an end goal of bolstering partner nations’ civil sector capabilities.

Past projects have included:

  • Flood relief in Poland, Serbia, Albania and Moldova
  • Water pumps in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania
  • 44 school renovations
  • 28 hospital/clinic renovations and equipment upgrades
  • 33 emergency services/water related upgrades 

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