Like the projectile of the same name making its way toward a target, a new international disaster response group called ARROWS has been launched. It is aimed at becoming a platform to assist in natural and man-made disasters by providing an airborne rescue capability while cooperating with the medical, private sector and government/military fields.
The official unveiling of the group, whose acronym stands for Airborne Rescue and Relief Operations with Search, took place Dec. 12 in Tokyo. On hand were current and former Cabinet ministers, Diet members, heads of industry, media, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, and a former U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general-turned-U.S. assistant secretary of defense.
The need for an organization that brings an airborne capability to partner groups has become increasingly acute in recent years as flooding — due to heavy rains and tsunami — and landslides have made local roads impassable, isolating facilities such as hospitals, schools, gymnasiums, community centers and senior citizens homes. Operations from the air allow medical and search and rescue personnel to get to the scene and start helping more people more quickly, with supplies and other assistance following on seamlessly.