CAMP H.M. SMITH — A devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Samoas. An earthquake in the Indonesian port of Padang that's killed at least 1,000. The worst flooding in the Philippines in four decades.

It was all on Adm. Timothy J. Keating's radar yesterday.

"Throughout all of the southern reaches of the Pacific, there are folks who need help," Keating said. "Well, right this second there's an American Navy ship in port in American Samoa, there have been four C-17 flights and two Coast Guard C-130 flights with relief aid and personnel that landed in American Samoa to support (federal authorities) in their disaster operations."

Keating, 60, is stepping down as commander of U.S. Pacific Command on Oct. 19, just over 2 1/2 years after assuming the post, and he'll retire with 42 years of military service in December.

But he's not there yet, and the demands of the world's oldest and largest U.S. combatant commands — covering half the globe — might make that change of command seem distant.

Keating said 20 special operations forces who were in the southern Philippines were moved to Manila with rubber boats to help with disaster relief.

An "amphibious ready group" led by the USS Denver and three other ships was about 24 hours out from Manila and preparing to provide help.

And in Indonesia, a C-130 cargo aircraft was conducting aerial surveillance and a small team of U.S. Special Forces are helping Indonesia's armed forces with a damage assessment from the earthquake.

"So that's at 1:35 in the afternoon," Keating said. "... Right now, we're seeing the demonstrable benefits of being out there with forces being present, with forces that are well-trained, well-equipped, highly motivated, eager to help."

It's just one of the roles of the Pacific's top warfighter. Keating has been to 29 of 36 countries within U.S. Pacific Command's area of responsibility working on engagement with other nations' militaries and civilian leaders.

The world's six largest armed forces are in the region. U.S. military and civilian personnel assigned to U.S. Pacific Command number approximately 325,000, or about one-fifth of total U.S. military strength.

On Oct. 19, Keating will turn over the command to a fellow Navy pilot, Adm. Robert Willard, who until recently headed up U.S. Pacific Fleet.

China's growing military and naval forays in the waters of Southeast Asia and elsewhere are being monitored, Keating said. Chinese warships also have taken part in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.

"We're watching pretty carefully," Keating said. "... The Chinese have extended their reach if you will, but these are kind of fundamental, basic operations and they are not near the capacity of capability that we have, or that other countries have in our region."