Operation Christmas Drop

The drop is the oldest ongoing Department of Defense mission which remains in full operation, and the longest running humanitarian airlift in the world. By 2006, more than of supplies were delivered. Money is raised for the operation by sponsored activities such as golf tournaments and sponsored runs, as well as local businesses sponsoring individual boxes.) The local 'Operation Christmas Drop' private organization leads fundraising activities. The Denton Humanitarian Assistance Program authorizes the military to perform humanitarian shipment on behalf of private organizations. Each box dropped from a C-130 aircraft weighs nearly and contains items such as fishing nets, construction materials, powdered milk, canned goods, rice, coolers, clothing, shoes, toys and school supplies. Air crew communicate with target villages through ham radio. The operation is militarily classified as a Low Cost Low Altitude (LCLA) airdrop, which means that existing resources and repurposed personnel parachutes are used to build supply bundles for cheap, and drops are performed at low altitude for accuracy. The specific type of LCLA is called Coast Humanitarian Air Drop (CHAD). == History ==

The operation was first conducted in 1951, A witness to the first drop on the island of Agrigan said "We saw these things come out of the back of the airplane and I was yelling: 'There are toys coming down'". At the time the island had no electricity or running water, and the islands were periodically hit by typhoons. Some of the first containers failed to arrive where intended, and islanders swam out to retrieve some, while others were discovered months later some miles away. In 2015, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Air Force participated in the operation along with the United States Air Force. Japan and Australia each provided one C-130 Hercules to join the three C-130s provided by the United States. The JASDF and RAAF also participated in the 2016 and 2017 operations. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Micronesian president David Panuelo opted out of the 69th Operation Christmas Drop in 2020. According to master sergeant Anthony Biecheler, the drop will continue as planned over the Republic of Palau and the US Air Force has taken extensive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from the deliveries. In 2021, the Republic of Korea Air Force participated for the first time, while the Royal Canadian Air Force participated for the first time in 2023. == In media ==

Operation Christmas Drop is fictionally portrayed in a Netflix film of the same name. The film debuted on the platform on November 5, 2020, and stars Kat Graham and Alexander Ludwig. == See also ==