OPERATION CHRISTMAS DROP

Operation Christmas Drop is the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift mission. It began in 1952, when a B-29 Superfortress crew spotted islanders waving from Kapingamarangi, 3,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. In the spirit of Christmas, they dropped a bundle of supplies by parachute. That simple act of kindness sparked a tradition that now reaches more than 50 islands across the Pacific each year—powered by the generosity of individuals and communities.

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Operation Christmas Drop is a PACAF-led event carried out by the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan; the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; the 734th Air Mobility Squadron, part of the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; the University of Guam; and the private Operation Christmas Drop organization, which spearheads fundraising and donations. Andersen AFB serves as the central hub for distributing goods across Micronesia.

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Using the Denton Program, which allows private citizens and organizations to send humanitarian goods on U.S. military cargo planes, C-130J Super Hercules crews airdrop food, educational materials, and toys to some of the world’s most remote islands—including the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau—spanning an area nearly the size of the continental U.S.

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In the months before the drop, volunteers build donation boxes and raise support from local businesses and residents. One week before delivery, volunteers—Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, civilians, and families—collect, sort, and pack donations. Riggers from Yokota and Andersen then assemble the airdrop bundles, which often include school supplies, rice, clothing, fishing gear, and toys. This community effort is what makes the mission possible—and it continues to grow because of that support.

The mission also provides critical training for emergency response. Each year, it serves as a proving ground for airdrop techniques used in disaster relief operations throughout the region, where typhoons and other natural disasters are all too common.

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Aircrews use ham radios to communicate with islanders as they fly overhead and release the supplies. This hands-on training helps crews maintain readiness while delivering life-enhancing goods to nearly 30,000 people across 58 islands. It’s a powerful example of community giving and operational excellence coming together.

The Low-Cost, Low-Altitude (LCLA) airdrop method used in Operation Christmas Drop is cost-effective and practical. Using repurposed personnel parachutes and readily available materials, crews can build supply bundles that are more accurate and far less expensive than traditional airdrop systems.

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Demonstrating and executing LCLA drops alongside regional partners is part of the U.S. Air Force’s commitment to enhancing humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities while promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific.

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Operation Christmas Drop also uses Coast Humanitarian Air Drop (CHAD) methods tailored for the Pacific’s unique geography. Together, CHAD and LCLA enable the U.S. Air Force and its allies to deliver humanitarian aid quickly and effectively across the region—thanks to the enduring generosity of people who make this mission possible.