Operation Christmas Drop is a tradition that started in 1952 that serves as a training mission for the U.S. Air Force. It has since become the longest-running U.S. Department of Defense mission in full operation, and the longest-running humanitarian airlift in the world. Supported by the local communities of Guam, it is primarily conducted from Andersen Air Force Base and Yokota Air Base, and targets Micronesia. 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 800,000 pounds (360,000 kg) of supplies were delivered. The operation gives troops the chance to practice humanitarian aid drops, which they may later be expected to conduct during deployment.[4] Volunteers from Andersen Air Force Base, including 734th Air Mobility Squadron, 44th Aerial Port Squadron and both crew and aircraft from the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, participate in the operation. Members of the Guam community also help the operation. Money is raised for the operation by sponsored activities such as golf tournaments and sponsored runs, as well as local businesses sponsoring individual boxes. (As of December 2024, the Anderson website calls for the donation of specific items such as antifungal cream and canned food to the boxes, though the page hasn't been updated since December 2021. The page of the private organization calls for both monetary and material goods donations.) 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 400 pounds (180 kg) and contains items such as fishing nets, construction materials, powdered milk, canned goods, rice, coolers, clothing, shoes, toys and school supplies. The containers are dropped in water just off the beaches in order to avoid them hitting the locals. In the modern form, about 40 tons are dropped per year. 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). The operation was first conducted in 1951,[3] when the aircrew of a WB-29 aircraft assigned to the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, formerly assigned to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, was flying a mission to the south of Guam over the Micronesian atoll of Kapingamarangi. When they saw the islanders waving to them, the crew quickly gathered some items they had on the plane, placed them in a container with a parachute attached and dropped the cargo as they circled again. 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. The 2006 operation saw 140 boxes dropped to 59 islands.[3] The 2011 operation included dropping twenty five boxes of IV fluids to Fais Island in order to combat a local outbreak of dengue fever. In 2014, The Pacific Air Forces delivered 50,000 pounds of supplies to 56 Micronesian Islands. 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. December 2017 marked the inaugural training event for the new C-130J from Yokota AB as well as the first quad-lateral event with the JASDF, RAAF and Philippine Air Force.[citation needed] 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. In 2023, the Royal Canadian Air Force participated for the first time. The United States Air Forces Operation Christmas Drop 2024 concluded Dec. 14, marking 73 years of delivering aid to some of the most isolated communities in the world. Over two weeks, C-130J Super Hercules and C-130H Hercules aircrews from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada came together to deliver 220 bundles totaling more than 77,000 pounds to over 58 remote islands in the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau, benefiting over 42,000 islanders. Each bundle contained essential goods such as clothing, food, medical supplies, and fishing equipment donated by local organizations and international partners. While OCD is the longest-running Department of Defense humanitarian aid mission, it also serves as an opportunity for participating aircrews to hone the coordination and execution skills needed to support future contingencies in the region. In completing 29 operational sorties, pilots and loadmasters alike acquired real-world experience in conducting low-cost, low-altitude airdrops to remote island communities. U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael DeMik, the operations superintendent for the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, believes the experience gained during OCD 24 helps prepare aircrews for even more real-world operations in the future. “This year’s OCD mission not only delivered vital supplies to the people of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau but also gave our crew members a unique opportunity to refine the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief skills they may need to deploy at a moment’s notice,” he said. “Delivering aid across the Indo-Pacific region is just one of the many critical tasks our highly versatile crews excel at.” For the first time in the 374th Airlift Wing’s long-standing history of supporting OCD, forces deployed to Guam as part of the 374th Air Expeditionary Wing in order to test Agile Combat Employment capabilities in the Indo-Pacific theater. The wing’s shift to the ACE concept comes on the heels of a recent visit made by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin to Yokota Air Base, Japan, during which he emphasized the importance of ACE in addressing future challenges. U.S. Air Force Col. Brett Cochran, the deputy commander for the 374th AW at Yokota Air Base, Japan, highlighted the significance of this transition and lauded the adaptability of OCD 24 aircrews. “The advent of the 374th Air Expeditionary Wing is a reflection of our determination to learn how to quickly adapt our teams — both combined and joint — for effective operations within an increasingly diffuse national security environment,” he said. “Our AEW aircrews from five nations leveraged their training to conduct airdrops in a way that we don't normally do. Within this dynamic operational environment, in an area of responsibility that spanned roughly the size of the U.S., we were able to flawlessly deliver 100% of the bundles.” As the final bundle of OCD 24 landed, the impact of the mission could not only be seen in the smiles of the islanders, but also in the pride of the aircrews. For many Yokota Airmen who supported OCD, the operation is more than a mission — it's an annual opportunity to remember why they do what they do. “This mission is a reminder of the impact and good we can do for the world,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Jordan Paecht, OCD 24 deputy mission commander. “Seeing the islanders wave as we fly away and later watching videos of them celebrating the airdrops — it’s a reminder of how many people we’ve helped. Experiencing it firsthand makes me really proud to be a Herk pilot.” For U.S. Air Force Capt. Miranda Bapty, OCD 24 mission commander, seeing videos of islanders opening dropped bundles were the gratifying moments that culminated months of preparation and planning. “Some of the most rewarding moments for me and my team were seeing the videos of the islanders receiving their bundles,” she said. “It's an amazing experience getting to see the reactions from the air, but hearing their joy in those videos will stay with us the rest of our lives. This was a life-changing experience for us all.”

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