Japan Foundation Los Angeles Lecture Series 19
Operation Tomodachi and Afterwards: A U.S. Marine Corps Perspective
Speaker: Dr. Robert D. Eldridge, Political Affairs and Public Diplomacy Officer, Marine Corps Installations Pacific (Okinawa, Japan)
Date: Thursday, May 15, 7:00 pm
Venue: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, 5700 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Admission: Free *RSVP Required Street parking map
Immediately after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami occurred on March 11, 2011, American military forces in Japan began sending supplies, equipment, and personnel to the devastated areas to assist in relief operations known as “Operation Tomodachi.”
The operation took place from March 12 to May 4, 2011, involving 24,000 U.S. service members, 189 aircrafts, and 24 naval ships.
Dr. Robert D. Eldridge was then the deputy assistant chief of staff of the Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Japan, and he was one of the first responders to Northeastern Japan after the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the region.
In his lecture, Dr. Eldridge will talk about his experiences and thought process during and after the “Operation Tomodachi” and what we could learn from the disaster.
Dr. Robert D. Eldridge is the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for G-7, and Political Affairs and Public Diplomacy Officer, Marine Corps Installations Pacific (Okinawa, Japan).
He was a tenured associate professor at the School of International Public Policy, Osaka University (OSIPP) and director, U.S.-Japan Alliance Affairs Division, Center for International Security Studies and Policy in Japan.
His area of research is in Japanese political and diplomatic history, Japanese Security Policy and Disaster Preparedness.