Establishing telecommunications systems tops feds' to-do list for Haiti

President Barack Obama said on Thursday that aid to Haiti, in the wake of that country's devastating earthquake, is the top priority of every federal agency, with re-establishing telecommunications in the country as the first order of business.

The Defense Department is mounting a massive response, including the dispatch of the hospital ship Comfort to the Caribbean nation, along with three amphibious ships and 2,000 Marines from Camp Lejeune (NC). "Right now in Haiti, roads are impassible, the main port is damaged and communications are just beginning to come online, and aftershocks continue," Obama said. "None of this will seem quick enough, but it's important that everyone in Haiti understand that one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history is moving toward Haiti."

Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of the U.S. Southern Command, said at a Pentagon press briefing on Wednesday that the first priority in providing aid to Haiti was "getting command and control and communications there so that we can really get a better understanding of what's going on." Some of the first personnel deployed to Haiti included communications specialists from the 1st Special Operations Communications Squadron based at Hulbert Field, Fla., according to the Air Force Special Operations Command.