Norfolk, Va. – The USNS Comfort is scheduled to deploy Wednesday, April 1 on a five-month humanitarian mission to 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The countries include Belize, Columbia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama.
The deployment is part of its Continuing Promise 2015 mission to conduct civil-military operations such as providing humanitarian medical, dental and veterinary services, assisting with civic and engineering projects, and conducting subject-matter exchanges.
The Comfort promises to continue its legacy of building strong relationships with multinational partners, enhancing international cooperation and increasing the United States’ ability to work collaboratively and collectively in support of humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief efforts – now and into the future.
The Military Treatment Facility team onboard USNS Comfort will be staffed primarily by military medical personnel from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va., and augmented by medical specialists from the Army and Air Force, and civilian medical specialists from the U.S. Public Health Service and Non-Governmental Organizations – all working together to bring the best possible assistance to U.S. neighbors in the region.
While deployed, Comfort will be under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet and the tactical control of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 40.
The ship will depart from Naval Station Norfolk at 9:00 a.m.
