Operation Tomodachi Bases and commands . Many if not most of the are involved in some manner in Operation Tomodachi . Joint operations . Col . Stephen Bissonnette , deputy commander of the 353rd SOG stated that " [ T ] he devastation caused by the earthquake is truly heartbreaking . . . As part of coordinated relief efforts , the group will work tirelessly with our Japanese counterparts and other relief organizations to help the people affected by the earthquake recover . . . " The US aid efforts are conducted under the direction of Japanese government or military authorities . Navy . The United States Navy quickly moved 10 naval vessels closer to Japan to provide aid . Aircraft from two VR ( Navy Transport Squadron ) units were already in theatre during the earthquake at NAF Atsugi . These aircraft a C - 130 , and a C - 40 were ready at the exact moment of need . VR62 ' s C - 130 delivered 127 tons of material to aid in relief efforts , VR58 ' s C - 40 delivered 366 , 000 pounds of food and water as well as moving 1400 passengers . Fleet Logistics Support Wing Surged aircraft from eight more squadrons that also assisted ( VR52 , VR53 , VR54 , VR55 , VR56 , VR57 , VR61 , VR64 ) . The aircraft carrier and its battle group were moved to the east coast of Honshu . As well as the group ' s own helicopters , the " Ronald Reagan " served as a refuelling platform for Japan Self - Defense Forces helicopters . C - 2 Greyhound aircraft assigned to VRC - 30 and attached to CVW - 14 and CVW - 5 ferried over 100 tons of food , water , blankets , clothing , and medical supplies from NAF Atsugi to USS Ronald Reagan for distribution by helicopter to local sites in Japan . Yokota Air Base was used in the aftermath of the earthquake as a landing field for commercial flights as Tokyo Narita Airport was closed . The Navy helicopters based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi and elsewhere were made available for search and rescue immediately after the tsunami , including searching off - shore debris fields and later assisted with food drops . P - 3 Orion aircraft were used to do damage surveys . Amphibious landing craft and utility landing craft ( LCUs ) were used to deploy U . S and Japanese troops and supplies to areas where docks were damaged . Japan electrical company trucks were also moved by U . S . LCUs from , notably to Oshima Island . The destroyers and , which were off the Bōsō Peninsula at the time of the earthquake , and their helicopters were made available for search and rescue . The landing ships and , with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa , were moved from the Sea of Japan to the east coast of Japan . , which had just arrived in Singapore at the time of the earthquake , was loaded with relief supplies and prepared to sail for Japan . , an amphibious dock ship embarked two MH - 53E Heavy Lift Helicopters assigned to HM - 14 DET 1 stationed in Pohang South Korea . The entire Det was on board " Tortuga " less than 18 hours after the earthquake and tsunami hit . " Tortuga " transported 800 Japanese civil defense workers from the island of Hokkaido to Honshu with 90 vehicles . Military Sealift Command ships also took part in the operation by transferring relief supplies and fuel to other supporting ships . The ships that took part in the operation were : USNS Carl Brashear ( T - AKE 7 ) , USNS Pecos ( T - AO 197 ) , USNS Rappahannock ( T - AO 204 ) , USS Matthew Perry ( T - AKE 9 ) , USNS Bridge ( T - AOE 10 ) , which was stationed at U . S . Fleet Activities Sasebo , arrived at Hachinohe , Japan with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 and Underwater Construction Team 2 to clear wreckage from a local commercial channel . During the operation the 7th Fleet flew 160 search and relief sorties for 1 , 100 flight hours , delivered 260 tons of relief supplies , and helped clear the ports of Hachinohe , Aomori , Miyako , Iwate , and Kesennuma , Miyagi . In total 130 aircraft , 12 , 510 personnel and over 16 American naval ships took part in Operation Tomodachi , including USS " Ronald Reagan " ( CVN - 76 ) , USS " Chancellorsville " ( CG - 62 ) , USS " Cowpens " ( CG - 63 ) , USS " Shiloh " ( CG - 67 ) , USS " John S . McCain " ( DDG - 56 ) , USS " Fitzgerald " ( DDG - 62 ) , USS " McCampbell " ( DDG - 85 ) , USS " Preble " ( DDG - 88 ) , USS " Mustin " ( DDG - 89 ) , USS " Germantown " ( LSD - 42 ) , USS " Tortuga " ( LSD - 46 ) , USS " Harpers Ferry " ( LSD - 49 ) , USS " Essex " ( LHD - 2 ) , USS " Blue Ridge " ( LCC - 19 ) , USNS " Safeguard " ( T - ARS - 50 ) . Radiologic incidents . The US Navy dispatched aircraft carrier USS " Ronald Reagan " and other vessels which flew a series of helicopter operations . A spokesman for U . S . 7th Fleet naval personnel stated that monitoring equipment indicated that the warship had been exposed to radiation . Separate hand - held equipment also picked up the contamination on 17 crew members , who had participated in rescue operations . Commander Jeff Davis said that the exposure was low enough that after the crew washed with soap and water , follow - up tests were negative . Davis characterized the exposure as comparable to routine civilian activities and reiterated the US Navy ' s commitment to the relief operation . As a precaution , the aircraft carrier was repositioned farther offshore , away from the downwind direction of the plant and decontaminated . Several helicopters were also decontaminated after returning from flights . One helicopter made a landing at Fukushima Airport after experiencing rotor icing and exposed some Australian and New Zealand search and rescue team members to low levels of radiation . Radiation precautions were taken at U . S . bases , including USS " George Washington " leaving port at Yokosuka after very low levels of radiation were detected there . Part of its air complement moved to Misawa Air Base to support relief operations . Marine Corps . United States Marine Corps facilities in Japan escaped major damage , with no reported casualties . This intact infrastructure allowed Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D . Butler to mobilize aid quickly . Marines based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma moved command and control teams and systems to NAF Atsugi . Eight KC - 130Js from VMGR - 152 and eight CH - 46E and four CH - 53 Super Stallions transport helicopters from HMM - 265 , all from MCAS Futenma , were made available to transport rescue teams and equipment , as well as provide search and rescue . The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit responded to Northern Japan from Malaysia and Indonesia , where the unit was conducting Theater Security Cooperation exercises . The 31st MEU delivered relief supplies to five cities , one island and one Japanese ship . More than 164 , 000 pounds of food and relief supplies were delivered , along with thousands of gallons of water . Elements of the 31st MEU , including Combat Logistics Battalion 31 , 2nd Battalion 5th Marines went ashore on Oshima Island to deliver critical supplies and assist in debris removal . MV " Westpac Express " , a civil - registered fast ferry chartered by the Marine Corps , was made available to transport equipment from Okinawa to Honshu . Westpac Express made two sorties in support of Operation Tomodachi . The ship moved 450 tons of cargo , including 7 - ton trucks , fuel tankers , generators and water tanks from Okinawa to Iwakuni , Japan , arriving 15 March . On 20 March , Westpac Express loaded 226 pallets of bottled water at Pohang , ROK , off - loading at Iwakuni the next day . Air Force . A United States Air Force KC - 135 Stratotanker arrived at Misawa Air Base on 14 March with the first batch of relief workers and 50 civil engineers from Kadena Air Base . Two C - 17A Globemaster cargo aircraft from Joint Base Lewis - McChord were made available to transport rescue teams and equipment . A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle was deployed from Guam for damage assessments . Air base . Yokota Air Base is the hub for air operations from which cleanup crews were dispatched to clean up Sendai airport . At a Town Hall meeting , the Commander of the 374th Air Wing USAF presented an overview of joint forces operations in support of the Japanese and emphasized teamwork between various players . He stated that " we are very blessed " to be in the nation of Japan because it has a highly sophisticated set of technologies to minimize the damage but that the personnel , logistic and financing problems were formidable . He repeatedly asserted that the situation is " eminently controllable " in part due to highly experienced personnel available for various contingencies . US military personnel stationed at the Air Base expressed interest in making cash donations – in dollars or yen – to the American Red Cross and other organizations working in the Japanese relief effort . < ref name = " Yokota Town Hall Meeting 3 / 14 / 2011 " > < / ref > Cub Scouts . Cub Scout Pack 49 of Yokota Air Base has a brotherhood with a local Japanese pack called Kiyose . The boys of Kiyose have asked Pack 49 to gather donations to help out the children impacted by the tsunami , needing simple school supplies , pencils , rulers , scissors etc . Army . Several Sikorsky UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopters from the U . S . Army Japan Aviation Detachment have been made available for relief efforts . A disaster assessment team from I Corps ( United States ) Forward departed Camp Zama and arrived in northeastern Japan on 14 March to assist in relief and humanitarian operations as well as set up a forward logistics base for supplies . A 59 - member logistics team from Sagamihara General Depot helped reopen Sendai Airport . Operation Pacific Passage . Over 7 , 000 family members of U . S . service members in Japan were voluntarily evacuated in March to Seattle Tacoma Airport and Travis Air Force Base in the U . S . during Operation Pacific Passage . Concerns over the uncertainty of the radiation situation and reducing the burden of supporting families while conducting relief operations and the related troop movements lead to the relocation program . Interagency collaboration . With Yokota Air Base available , US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance sent Urban Search and Rescue California Task Force 2 and Virginia Task Force 1 . Two urban search and rescue teams arrived at the pending merger with a 60 member / two - dog team from the UK . On 3 / 16 , a RAAF C - 17 Globemaster III landed on Kadena ' s flight line . USAF personnel assisted Royal Australian Air Force and Japan Ground Self Defense Force to load supplies and fly to mainland Japan . Timeline . 11 March 2011 . USS Tortuga conducts an emergency recall of all personnel onboard and is underway at 19 : 00 en route Pohang , South Korea to on load MH - 53E helicopters from HM - 14 Detachment 1 . 12 March 2011 . Four Marine KC - 130J Aircraft from VMGR - 152 deployed from MCAS Futenma to the Japanese Mainland to support relief operations . About a hundred airmen and three MC - 130P Combat Shadows , with 19 maintenance personnel , from the 353rd Special Operations Group deployed on 12 March , one day after the earthquake . Col . Stephen Bissonnette , deputy commander of the 353rd SOG stated that " [ T ] he devastation caused by the earthquake is truly heartbreaking . . . As part of coordinated relief efforts , the group will work tirelessly with our Japanese counterparts and other relief organizations to help the people affected by the earthquake recover . . . " 13 March 2011 . Four additional Marine KC - 130J aircraft from VMGR - 152 deployed from MCAS Futenma along with nearly 80 maintainers , effectively relocating the squadron to the Japanese Mainland . Eight Marine CH - 46E helicopters from HMM - 265 deployed to NAS Atsugi to begin relief operations . A USAF KC - 135 Stratotanker arrived at Misawa Air Base on Sunday with the first batch of relief workers and 50 civil engineers from Kadena Air Base . Two US urban search and rescue teams arrived from Fairfax County , Virginia and Los Angeles County , California with a total of 140 rescuers and 14 rescue dogs . The teams merged with a 63 member search and rescue team from the UK . The combined US - UK operation deployed to the town of Sumita , Iwate to set up a base of operations . The teams performed daily search and rescue missions in the cities of Ofunato and Kamaishi for five days until departing for home . Members of the U . S . Navy Reserve Detachment 105 were joined by six members of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency ( DTRA ) Liaison ( LNO ) and Consequence Management Advisory Team ( CMAT ) . These two elements formed the initial core of the United States Forces Japan ( USFJ ) Radiological Consequence Management Team ( RCMT ) whose mission was to advise Lieutenant General Burton Field Commander USFJ on matters related to the nuclear fuel cycle , potential hazards , and potential mitigation of a radiological incident . DTRA Liaison and CMAT personnel were among the first U . S . personnel to visit the TEPCO response site ( J - Village ) located a few kilometers from the Fukushima Diachi reactor . DTRA personnel also established relationships TEPCO engineering and management deconflicting information for the U . S . Ambassador and United States Forces Japan Commander . HM - 14 DET 1 rapidly deploys to assist in relief efforts on board USS " Tortuga " . The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron also arrived at Misawa Air Base for Operation Tomodachi . 14 March 2011 . The Yokota Town Hall Meeting was conducted in which personnel and their families were reassured that the problems , though formidable , were manageable given the highly qualified Japanese , US , and international personnel on the scene . There was an assurance that there would be daily monitoring of radiation levels . Many of the service men and women expressed interest in making financial contributions through the Red Cross . 15 March 2011 . Work continued to re - establish a workable landing strip at Sendai Airport . Kadena AFB personnel restored minimal power at Misawa to Air Force personnel , still pending Navy power restoration . The USS " George Washington " was docked for maintenance in Yokosuka , about 175 miles ( 280 kilometers ) from the plant , when instruments detected the radiation at 7 am Tuesday ( 6 p . m . ET Monday ) . 16 March 2011 . Rear Admiral Wren , the Commander , US Naval Forces Japan , sent out a letter advising personnel to limit outdoor activity at Fleet Activities Yokosuka and Naval Air Facility Atsugi due to newly developing , low level radiation . 17 March 2011 . The Pentagon said Thursday that it was sending more specialized aircraft to evaluate nuclear contamination at and around the Fukushima site , including a WC - 135 , " Constant Phoenix " from Offutt Air Force Base to take air samples , which aircraft had formerly been used as a sniffer with regard to North Korean nuclear weapons testing . Carrier Air Wing - 5 was relocated from NAF Atsugi to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam temporarily , what the Navy calls a " force posture adjustment " for Operation Tomodachi . The air wing ' s SH - 60 helicopters from HS - 14 and HSL - 51 and C - 2 Greyhound from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Det . 5 remained behind in support of the operation . As a precaution , the navy has also stopped moving its personnel to Japan as well . According to NPR , unmanned Global Hawk drones and old U - 2 were also deployed and along with a planning team from the U . S . Northern Command in Colorado . 23 March 2011 . Navy officials halted air operations from USS " Ronald Reagan " temporarily on Wednesday so they could decontaminate the ship from the radiation the ship received . While the radiation did not pose any significant health risk , " it needed to go away , " Cmdr . Ron Rutan , chief engineer for the " Reagan " . 25 March 2011 . Mississippi and Alabama National Guard forces joined those from Kentucky and Guam to assist with Operation Tomodachi . 500 , 000 gallons of fresh water has been provided from the US Navy to support cooling efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant . 1 May 2011 . US troops will begin to withdraw from the Tohoku coastline and return to their bases , and the US - Japan Joint Cooperation Center in Sendai has closed down . While it will continue to airlift personnel and supplies as needed , the work on the ground will be handed over to the Japanese Self - Defence Forces . 4 May 2011 . Marines from the Consequence Management Support Force return to Okinawa from mainland Japan 4 May , representing the departure of the last major element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force deployed to mainland in support of Operation Tomodachi . 4 September 2012 . United States Department of Defense releases location - based radiation dose estimates for U . S . personnel involved in Operation Tomodachi on the Environmental Health Surveillance Registries website . Clean - up efforts . US troops assisted Japanese government workers in cleaning up debris and rubble left by the tsunami . Effect on Japan – US relations . The disaster may have also brought a diplomatic opening to Japan . The support provided by the US illustrated the value of the relationship between the two countries . It was commented that the level of support provided by the US for relief operations will probably assuage tension over base relocation disputes between the governments of the two nations . The " Yomiuri Shimbun " reported that the " coordinated relief activities at the disaster sites are expected to deepen the Japan - U . S . alliance . " On 4 April 2011 , Japan ' s minister of defense , Toshimi Kitazawa , accompanied by US ambassador to Japan John Roos , visited the " Ronald Reagan " to thank its crew for its assistance as part of Operation Tomodachi . Said Kitazawa , " I have never been more encouraged by and proud of the fact that the United States is our ally . " On 10 April 2011 , Japan ' s Prime Minister , Naoto Kan , visited Camp Sendai to talk to U . S . service members . The prime minister spoke of the immediate response of the U . S . military and expressed his belief that the joint efforts between the U . S . military , and the JGSDF will only strengthen the bonds between the Japanese people and the United States . A nationwide survey conducted in Japan from September to October 2011 found that an all - time high of 82 percent felt friendly feelings towards the US . Japan ' s Foreign Ministry attributed the number to the effects of Operation Tomodachi .