USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is deployed to a Latin American and Caribbean tour from June – August 2025 as part of US Naval Forces Southern Command/US 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2025 mission. Comfort is scheduled to visit Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Ecuador and Panama.
US military medical professionals will work alongside partner nation counterparts to provide direct patient care and technical expertise in community clinics to improve medical readiness and strengthen partnerships.
The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is departing from Miami, Florida on Wednesday, 4 June for the South and Central America deployment.
The Mercy-class hospital ship had not been on a similar mission since 2022.
Comfort’s deployment marks the 16th Continuing Promise, which began in 2007. It is the eighth time that Comfort participated, according to a Navy release.
The 2025 Continuing Promise will include an Army veterinary element from the 248th Medical Detachment and Navy seabees from Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 11, according to the release.
Throughout the three-month mission, the team will work with veterinary organizations to provide public health education, in addition to animal care, as well as lead seminars and training exercises with the participating countries.
The US Fleet Forces Band, “Uncharted Waters,” is also participating in the friendship events on shore where the ship will be in port. The band will also work with community partners to foster musical education.
“These exchanges aim to support host nation facilities, improve readiness, and empower local and national officials with the knowledge and experience to act with confidence during emergencies,” reads the release.
Continuing Promise is one of the Navy’s humanitarian missions that aims to boost partnerships between the United States and other countries.
“The USNS Comfort’s deployment under Continuing Promise demonstrates the US Navy’s enduring commitment to our allies and partners across the Caribbean, Central and South America. This mission will forge lasting partnerships and deliver impactful aid, leaving a legacy of goodwill throughout the region,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of US 4th Fleet.
Comfort is one of two hospital ships in the Navy’s fleet. The two ships are meant to serve as acute medical facilities, with surgical capabilities. Comfort and its sister ships USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) are mostly used for humanitarian missions, like Continuing Promise, although both were sent to New York at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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USNI
4 June 2025