FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Soldiers from the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade continue to provide a variety of intelligence support to relief efforts in Haiti.
Even as the first of the brigade's Soldiers deployed to Haiti have returned, others continue to deploy in small teams along with U.S. Army South personnel. Among these are the Deployable Intelligence Support Element teams of the 401st MI Company's Analysis and Control Element.
Maj. Christopher Schreiner, deputy ACE chief, explained that a DISE is a combination of personnel and communication equipment to allow for receiving, processing and analyzing information to support operations.
Sgt. Tameequah Fortune, a DISE team member currently in Haiti, said her team "complements the international aid effort by providing information regarding security concerns."
Related to this is continued monitoring of the internal movements of displaced persons and the living conditions at the hundreds of camps constructed since the earthquake.
"This is increasingly important, especially with the rainy and hurricane seasons quickly approaching," she added.
Describing the level of destruction in Haiti as "tremendous," Fortune said she and her team were impressed by the improvements they have seen.
She noted that increased job opportunities and a steady income for those helping clean up their country have helped ease suffering.
The DISE teams perform their duties inside an operations center at a base camp in Port-Au-Prince. According to Schreiner, they receive reports from various sources in Haiti and put them together for the Joint Task Force Haiti commander with support from the brigade ACE to assemble the complete picture.
"The Soldiers from the 401st know Haitians need continual support and are proud to represent their unit by assisting the government of Haiti and the international community in relief and recovery operations," Schreiner said.
"They may not know the exact date of their return, and their living conditions may be austere, but they realize the importance of their mission and the level of need of the Haitian people.
"The Soldiers are extremely satisfied by the fact they are able to have a direct impact on helping the people of Haiti rebuild from Jan. 12's devastating earthquake."
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