Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Attends Final Planning Conference for Continuing Promise 2015

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Deven Leigh Ellis, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East

NORFOLK (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. 4th Fleet Rear Adm. George Ballance spoke at the final planning conference for Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) aboard Naval Station Norfolk Feb. 5.

Military, non-governmental agency planners and prospective participants in the upcoming CP-15 humanitarian assistance deployment finalized details of the operation during the final planning conference hosted Feb. 3-5 by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet.

The mission of CP-15 is to enable collaboration between U.S. military and government personnel, partner nations and volunteer and non-government organizations. Mission evolutions will include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support.

"Thank you for the superhuman planning effort that's already gone into this," Ballance said, addressing the three-day conference attendees comprised of military and civilian crew members.

Comfort's 2013 Continuing Promise mission was cancelled due to budget limits imposed by sequestration, but Ballance is confident that the current crew is eager to commence CP-15.

"Everybody is excited, everybody I talked to - probably because we missed 2013," Ballance said. "I can't tell you how high the anticipation level is."

"Until then, we have a lot of work ahead of us, and I'll thank you in advance for that," Ballance said.

This year's Continuing Promise mission will include hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), a military sealift command ship, for the fourth year.

Capt. Sam Hancock, commander, Destroyer Squadron 40, is the mission commander. Capt. Rachel Haltner commands the Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) aboard Comfort. The ship's civil service master, Capt. George McCarthy, is responsible for the ship's safe and timely navigation and day-to-day operations.

Hancock will command the joint civil-military operation, which includes personnel in the fields of medicine, engineering, veterinary medicine, public and environmental health, other specialties and personnel from other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and multinational partner nations who will participate in the Continuing Promise mission.

Haltner, MTF commander, will oversee the joint medical staff, to be drawn mostly from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, and the Army and Air Force.

From early April through September, Continuing Promise will provide medical and dental care, preventive medicine and veterinary consulting, and construction projects in 11 countries. The mission will return to Belize, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Panama.

"People cannot wait for this mission to commence and we are looking forward to working with everyone involved," said Capt. Hancock. "The opportunity to make an impact during this once in a lifetime mission is something we are all anticipating,"

Cmdr. Andrew Sellers, Comfort's director of clinical services, is anticipating a mission revolving around the most important aspect: the people.

"I was on the 2011 mission, and it was all about the people," Sellers said. "The friends you make, the people you get to work with and the people you get to help."

Comfort's deployment in support of Continuing Promise is scheduled to commence April 2015, strengthening the shared commitment and partnerships within the region.

Continuing Promise 2015 is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet-conducted deployment to conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian-civil assistance, subject matter expert exchanges, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support and disaster response to partner nations and to show U.S. support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean.