JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – About 1,000 pieces of military equipment are on their way from Jacksonville to West Africa to aid in stopping the spread of Ebola.
The U.S. Department of Defense is coordinating the move of the equipment, in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The gear was shipped Tuesday from the Jacksonville Port Authority's Blount Island Marine Terminal on the Northside.
The U.S. Army's 832nd Transportation Battalion loaded the shipment this week. Humvees, dump trucks, forklifts and other support will be used as part of Operation United Assistance.
"I think if we, with our partners, don't help but solve the problem, it could intentionally -- it could become out of control," said Lt. Col. Benjamin Walters, U.S. Army commander.
The wheeled equipment arrived at JaxPort from various military bases and was shipped to the U.S. Army Africa Joint Headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, which serves as the command center for U.S.-led humanitarian efforts in West Africa.
The machinery will be used to build specially designed 100-bed Ebola treatment units in Liberia.
JaxPort is one of 17 U.S. strategic seaports on call to move military cargo for national defense, foreign humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
"Look at this operation -- it's also critically important to the nation's defense, the world's health," JaxPort spokeswoman Nancy Rubin said. "It's incredibly important to each and every one of us."
Earlier this month, the 832nd Transportation Battalion shipped more than 500 pieces of tracked military equipment to Europe as part of the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales program.