Disaster relief[edit]
USAID Packages are delivered by United States Coast Guard personnel
Some of the U.S. Government's earliest foreign aid programs provided relief in crises created by war. In 1915, USG assistance through the Commission for Relief of Belgium headed by Herbert Hoover prevented starvation in Belgium after the German invasion. After 1945, the European Recovery Program championed by Secretary of State George Marshall (the "Marshall Plan") helped rebuild war-torn Western Europe. In our era, USAID leads USG relief efforts after wars and natural disasters through its Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Privately funded U.S. NGOs and the U.S. military also play major roles in disaster relief overseas.