Operation Unified Assistance

Operation Unified Assistance was the American military's humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

The United States dispatched numerous C-5 and C-17 strategic airlifters and 10 C-130 Hercules tactical airlifters containing disaster supplies, 9 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft for search and rescue support, and several teams from the Department of State and the Department of Defense to coordinate additional assistance from Utapao Naval Air Base in Thailand.

Carrier Strike Group 9 was dispatched to the coast of Sumatra to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh.

An Expeditionary Strike Group led by the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, scheduled for a port call in Guam, was dispatched to render assistance.

Indonesian public opinion of the United States markedly improved in the year after the tsunami, jumping from 15% in 2003 to 38% in 2005, going against the general trend of less favorable attitudes towards America in that time period.