U.S. military aids Japan in wake of disaster (photos)

As part of the ongoing disaster relief mission following the devastating 9.0-magnitude that struck Japan on March 11, the United States military is engaged in unprecedented assistance for the country, which has been overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis.

As part of Operation Tomodachi, the military is assisting the Japanese government with humanitarian aid and search and rescue operations.

Here, sailors aboard U.S. 7th Fleet command flagship USS Blue Ridge stand by to move pallets of HADR--humanitarian assistance/disaster relief--kits.

This aerial view of northeastern Japan paints a grim picture of the humanitarian situation. Japan is struggling to cope with the widespread destruction and the ongoing nuclear crisis.

From inside the control room, officers aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex navigate toward the coast of Japan as part of the Operation Tomodachi relief effort.

An E-2C Hawkeye assigned to the Black Eagles of Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113 catapults off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Its mission is to provide damage assessment and air traffic coordination for Operation Tomodachi.

An aerial view shows tsunami debris and the shattered remains of Wakuya, Japan, on March 15, 2011.

Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Dante Galati directs members of USS Tortuga's Deck Department as they load a Japanese armored truck onto the flight deck.

The Tortuga loaded a slew of Japanese vehicles onto the ship from the pier at Tomakomai Ko.

Debris from the tsunami, including houses, cars, and boats lines a canal in the downtown area of a fishing town.

In addition to the U.S. presence in Japan, teams from the United Kingdom and China are on scene to assist in searching for missing residents.

The Landing Craft Utility 1627 pulls up to the stern gate of the USS Tortuga as the crew prepares to load vehicles and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force troops.

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force vehicles are lined up aboard the USS Tortuga after being delivered by Landing Craft Utility 1627, marking the first time in history that a U.S. warship has carried Japanese military assets.

Crew aboard the USS Tortuga inspect the vehicles and equipment on deck before the ship gets under way to complete the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force onload.

Tortuga loaded a plethora Japanese vehicles on its flight deck this past Tuesday from the Tomakomai Ko pier.

The USS Tortuga is seen with Mount Kamafuse in the background.

The U.S. and Japanese partnered to transport military vehicles and personnel from Tomakomai in Hokkaido, to Ominato in northern Honshu.

A tugboat rests amid a pile of debris in Ofunato, Japan, on March 15, 2011.

The USS Ronald Reagan, under way on March 12, 2011, in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility, was directed to Japan to assist in the humanitarian efforts following the quake.

At a radioactive decontamination station aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, Engineman 1st Class Brandon Martin uses an IM-271/PD Radioacmeter to detect possible radioactive surface contaminates on Aviation Boatswain's Mate Airman Eddie Sanchez.

Marines from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade aboard a KC-130J Hercules aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa. They're moving food, water, and medical supplies.

A damaged water pipe along the northeastern coast of Japan sprouts a freezing fountain of water on March 11, 2011.

Cold temperatures in the northern part of Japan are complicating the situation in the struggling country.

Members of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps search and rescue teams survey the earthquake and tsunami damage at Sendai Airport near Yokota Air Base, Japan, on March 13, 2011.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class John and Petty Officer 1st Class Shakir Briggs help a Japanese man remove debris from the Misawa fishing port in Japan on March 14, 2011.

Piles of debris, building rubble, and damaged cars and boats line several blocks of the once lively streets of the fishing town of Ofunato.

Japanese soldiers at Kadena Air Base prepare to head to mainland Japan along with their U.S. counterparts to support recovery efforts.

Sailors assigned to Fleet and Industrial Supply Center from Naval Air Facility Misawa, including Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Robert Bannister, center, are assisting with the cleanup of sediment from the devastated city.

Removed from its foundation, and now floating miles from shore in the Pacific Ocean, a Japanese home is inspected by a helicopter-based Search and Rescue team launched from the USS Ronald Reagan.

Members of the Fairfax County Urban Fire and Rescue Team head into downtown Ofunato to search for survivors.

Masayoshi Sawaguchi, director of the Department of Policy and Finance for the Misawa City Office, speaks with U.S. sailors assigned to Naval Air Facility Misawa during the cleanup effort at the Misawa Fishing Port. Nearly 100 Sailors from NAFM volunteered in the relief effort to help Misawa City employees and members of the local community.

The scale of the disasters is still unclear. With thousands already declared dead and thousands more missing, the aid and search and rescue missions will take the cooperation of many.