Pentagon: 100 Marines Deploying to Liberia as Part of Ebola Response, Will Arrive Thursday
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Michael Fitzsimmons/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — In the first wave of U.S. military forces being sent to Liberia to help combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak, 100 marines and six aircraft will travel to West Africa on Wednesday night.
According to Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby, the marines, along with four MV-22 Ospreys and two KC-130 tanker aircraft will be spend Wednesday night in Senegal before arriving in Liberia. The marines are part of the Special Marine Air Ground Task Force Crisis Response Africa stationed in Spain.
The first 100 marines will serve as a “bridge” for air assets “in an austere environment” until larger numbers of military personnel arrive.
The station in Senegal where the marines and aircraft will stop over is a transportation hub being set up by the U.S. The Osprey aircraft will fly personnel and equipment from Senegal to hard-to-reach places without runways. Kirby called travel to such locations “one of the challenges we’re having.”
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