WHAT: Opportunity for South Florida media to board the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort and cover Continuing Promise 2025, its upcoming humanitarian assistance mission in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
WHO: Military and civilian members of the hospital ship crew supporting the mission will be available for interviews, including U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Richard S. Lofgren, deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. Fourth Fleet, and U.S. Navy Capt. Ryan Kendall, Continuing Promise 2025 mission commander.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 3. Press arrival time is 7 a.m. (for setup and security sweep). The media tour will begin at 7:30 a.m. (NOTE: Due to the ship’s busy schedule, this will be the only opportunity for South Florida press to gather news aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort.)
WHERE: PortMiami, Terminal E. Press parking available at the lot west of Terminal E with signs indicating the parking entrance. General parking is available in Lot E across the street from the terminal.
WHY: The ship will depart Wednesday at approximately 9 a.m., June 4, to begin its 10-week humanitarian assistance mission with scheduled stops in Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Panama, and Ecuador. The ship’s embarked medical teams will provide care to local residents on board and at land-based medical sites alongside host-nation healthcare personnel. Additionally, the ship’s military and civilian crew will provide veterinary services, conduct training, host expertise exchanges, and participate in community engagements.
PRESS RSVP INSTRUCTIONS: Interested media should contact U.S. Southern Command’s Public Affairs Office with their journalists’ names, affiliations, titles, cell phones and emails no later than noon Monday, June 2. For security reasons, journalists will be required to display their newsroom-issued credentials while covering this event. For ease of movement within the ship, including potentially climbing up and down steep-angled stairwells, reporters are strongly advised to wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes.
POC:
Steven McLoud
Public Affairs Office
Office: 305-437-1213
Desk: 305-437-1209
Cell: 305-586-3657
Email: southcom.miami.sc-cc.list.cmd-public-affairs@mail.mil
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT USNS COMFORT’S CONTINUING PROMISE 2025 MISSION:
DVIDS Continuing Promise landing page
U.S. 4th Fleet Announces USNS Comfort Deployment
B-ROLL OF PRIOR USNS COMFORT MISSIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
PHOTOS OF PRIOR USNS COMFORT MISSIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
CONTINUING PROMISE 2025 FACT PAGE
CONTINUING PROMISE DOWNLOADABLE MULTIMEDIA