LIVORNO, Italy – In an effort to assist the government of Moldova with helping to support thousands of displaced Ukrainians entering their country – and per a request from the U.S. Embassy in Moldova – sleeping cots and generators were prepared, loaded and shipped from Italy, April 5.
Thanks to a special Humanitarian Assistance Program team in Livorno – which is administratively assigned to Logistics Readiness Center Italy, 405th Army Field Support Brigade – the humanitarian assistance package will help provide much needed relief to many Ukrainians entering Moldova.
A Department of Defense program, HAP is assigned to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, and should not to be confused with the Department of State’s Foreign Disaster Response mission.
Janine Wick is the HAP program manager at Livorno, LRC Italy. She said, unlike FDR, HAP is not intended to – or able to – meet urgent, rapid issue needs. Instead, HAP missions align with partnership building and steady state support and sustainability, and take more time to plan and execute.
“HAP is there to help meet some of the basic, non-emergent social needs of the people where HAP support has been requested,” Wick said.
To put it into better perspective, “the U.S. State Department’s FDR program is the first responder – like the fire department, police or emergency personnel during an accident – and HAP is the follow-on, long term care provided after the immediate incident is over,” Wick said.
Also important to note, HAP may not provide – directly or indirectly – any items that could be used by a group, organization or individual for military or paramilitary activity, said Wick.
Often referred to as HAP projects and intended to support and sustain the local civilian populace, HAP missions are initiated by U.S. embassies and approved by DSCA, said Wick. Thanks to HAP, the supported governments can better assist with people’s needs, including the needs of displaced personnel entering their countries – like the ones currently fleeing Ukraine.
“We’re there to help these supported governments so they can better perform their civic assistance duties. That’s our bottom line,” Wick said.
The shipment of HAP cargo was prepared, palletized and shipped, and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command coordinated its movement to Moldova.
Helping to advance U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives, DSCA donates non-lethal excess property to foreign allies and partner nations in times of need and during crises, using HAP.
There are three HAP excess property warehouses and teams around the globe – one in Albany, Georgia, one in Okinawa, Japan, and one in Livorno. The team in Livorno stands ready to support additional approved DOD HAP missions in Moldova and other boarder countries as a show of solidarity, mutual cooperation and unremitting commitment to the United States’ European Allies and partners.
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