Operation United Assistance

Operation United Assistance was a United States Department of Defense response to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa in 2014. The operation was announced by U.S. President Barack Obama on September 16, 2014. The mission aimed to provide logistical, training, and engineering support to help contain the spread of Ebola virus disease (EVD).

Background

The Ebola virus is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. The 2014 outbreak in West Africa was the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976.

Mission

The mission of Operation United Assistance was to provide command and control, logistics, training and engineering support to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Liberia. The U.S. Africa Command, through U.S. Army Africa, provided the Department of Defense support for the mission.

Implementation

The operation involved the deployment of up to 4,000 U.S. military personnel to West Africa. The U.S. military helped to build treatment units to aid the infected and establish logistics chains to support the U.S. and international relief efforts. The operation also involved training healthcare workers and providing engineering support.

Outcome

Operation United Assistance helped to significantly slow the spread of Ebola in Liberia. The operation was deemed successful and was concluded in February 2015.

See also

• Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa
• United States Department of Defense
• Barack Obama
• Ebola virus disease
• U.S. Africa Command
• U.S. Army Africa
• U.S. Agency for International Development

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