The UK military contribution to the aid effort so far:
RFA Largs Bay
The UK is contributing to the relief effort by deploying, at the request of the United Nations, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary supply ship, RFA Largs Bay, loaded with aid. It will sail from the UK carrying relief supplies that will be needed by the people of Haiti in the weeks and months ahead.
RFA Largs Bay has the capacity to carry supplies provided by the Department for International Development, British and international NGOs as well as goods purchased with donations from the British public in response to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal.
Largs Bay has broad versatility and will be able to undertake a range of tasks from transporting stores to providing a sea base for UK personnel employed in the humanitarian relief effort. It is equipped with a Mexeflote raft - a powered raft that can be used to offload ships at anchor and bring stock and equipment into shore when there is no established port.
Largs Bay has a crew of around 60 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and a small team from 17 Port and Maritime RLC to operate the Mexefloat craft.
The ship is due to sail before the end January 2010, from Marchwood, Southampton, and is expected to stay in the region for some weeks to help the UN ferry bulk supplies around small outlying ports in Haiti.
RFA Largs Bay should arrive in Haiti in the second week of February 2010. This accounts for time to load DfID and NGO stores onto the ship and then to sail to the region.
The MOD pays the operational costs for Largs Bay, but DfID will pay any additional costs associated with its deployment to Haiti.
Operational Liaison Reconnaissance Team
Also as part of Op PANLAKE, the UK has sent a 16-strong Operational Liaison Reconnaissance Team (OLRT) to Haiti to assess what further military specialist requirements are needed.
An OLRT is a military capability held at extremely high readiness to deploy. It is used to link into and liaise with those already deployed on the ground and to provide a military view of what else might be required to inform the development of options for further consideration.
The OLRT deployed to Haiti on Wednesday, 20 January 2009 by an RAF C130 aircraft with stores to support them for 30 days.
Royal Military Police
An eight-strong Royal Military Police protection team was sent to on 21 January to provide better security for the FCO's consular Rapid Deployment Team. The presence of an RMP team will allow our team better access for locating missing British nationals.
Further personnel and support
In addition, the Minister for the Armed Forces has approved the deployment of three Army personnel on exchange with the US, Canada and Bermuda, two Royal Navy Personnel on exchange with USS Gunstan Hall, and two RAF 2 C130 Pilots on exchange with the US Air Force.