Operation Xmas Drop 2025: US and allies deliver hope to remote Pacific communities

Summer is officially underway. This year's calendar has something for everyone - from sports, art, music, faith, and food to families and friends enjoying a fun day out and creating lasting memories.

This December, the skies over the Pacific were filled with more than aircraft. They carried hope.

Operation Christmas Drop 2025 delivered food, school supplies, fishing gear and gifts to nearly 60 remote islands, supporting more than 42,000 residents across the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands, and Palau.

Launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the United States-led humanitarian mission brought together air forces from Australia, Canada, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and the US, among others.

It is the longest-running US Air Force humanitarian airlift, first conducted in 1952 when a B-29 crew dropped supplies to islanders waving from the shoreline.

“This operation delivers more than just supplies,” Aren Palik, Vice President of the FSM, told guests at the opening ceremony. “It delivers hope, connection and the reassurance that even across a vast ocean, we remain part of one family.

Residents of a remote Pacific island gather on the beach, eagerly awaiting parachuted supplies during Operation Christmas Drop, a festive lifeline delivering food, tools, and gifts across the region. Photo/US Department of Defense

"It is an accomplishment that speaks to the steadfast commitment of the United States and its Pacific partners to care for our people and our communities.”

The mission combined humanitarian aid with vital training for air crews, including low-level flight, precision airdrop and logistical coordination across four million square kilometres of ocean.

Colonel Richard McElhaney, commander of the US 374th Airlift Wing, says, “I don’t think we can truly grasp that impact until we see the families wave and jump up and down in excitement as we fly by.

Watch Operation Christmas Drop in the Pacific below.

"While this is an amazing humanitarian mission, it’s also an invaluable training event for participating air crews.

"This training and the work we do here matter and translate to our readiness.”

This year, about 37,000kg of supplies were dropped from aircraft flying low over the islands, with parachutes delivering essential items directly to communities.

McElhaney says the operation’s multinational nature strengthens communication, interoperability and disaster-response skills for the participating nations, ensuring they can respond rapidly to emergencies across the Indo-Pacific.

Villagers unpack parachuted supplies, turning the sky-drop into a moment of festive joy and practical support for their island home. Photo/Facebook/Operation Christmas Drop

Palik reflected on the deeper impact of the operation for Pacific communities.

“Beyond the food, tools, fishing gear, school supplies and gifts, you deliver something far more valuable: the spirit of compassion that defines this Christmas season.”

Australia, Canada, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea all participated in 2025.

New Zealand, while a regular contributor in past years, did not participate in this year’s drops.

From left, Aren B. Palik Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia, Bruce Best, known at Operation Christmas Drop as "Brother Bruce", and US Air Force Colonel Richard McElhaney, 374th Airlift Wing commander, push a bundle onto a Yokota Air Base C-130J Super Hercules during the Operation Christmas Drop 2025 ceremony at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on 8 December. Photo/US Air Force/Senior Airman Alexzandra Gracey

Operation Christmas Drop is part of a wider humanitarian and diplomatic effort, showcasing how military cooperation can deliver tangible benefits to Pacific islanders while honing skills needed for disaster relief.

For the people on these remote islands, the drops are more than a festive tradition. They are lifelines. The smiles, the waving, and the gifts dropped from the sky are a reminder that even across vast oceans, Pacific communities are not forgotten.