U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) commitment to the region will be on full display starting in early June with the launch of its signature humanitarian mission. Continuing Promise will deploy the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort to bring crucial medical, dental, veterinarian, and engineering support to Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. Simultaneously, mission AMISTAD will provide specialized medical care in Peru, El Salvador, Suriname, and Paraguay.
U.S. military and civilian professionals will work alongside personnel from partner nations on both missions, fostering interoperability and strengthening bonds of friendship and trust across Latin America and the Caribbean. Over the years, Continuing Promise and AMISTAD have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the well-being of partner nations.
Continuing Promise, led by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (NAVSO4THFLT) has provided healthcare and support to more than 600,000 patients across Latin America and the Caribbean since 2007. U.S. Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) now leads the parallel AMISTAD mission to deliver specialized medical care by air to remote communities.
Building enduring partnerships
Continuing Promise 2025 will mark the 15th mission to the region since the exercise’s inception, and the eighth aboard USNS Comfort. During each stop, U.S. personnel and their partners will work on improving medical readiness, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing their combined capabilities to better respond to public health disasters and humanitarian crises.
“Working with our partner nation and [U.S.] State Department teammates, each Continuing Promise stop has been meticulously planned to provide world-class medical care where it is needed most,” said U.S. Navy Captain Ryan Kendall, commodore Destroyer Squadron 40 and Continuing Promise mission commander. “Most notably, these engagements are only possible with the support of the various country teams and our military partners to make this mission an overwhelming success.”
Over the years, this mission has conducted numerous medical, dental, and engineering projects, illustrating a lasting resolve to support the well-being of allied countries. Past deployments have seen U.S. military personnel collaborate with local healthcare providers and engineers, building schools, clinics, refurbishing drinking water and sewage systems, and providing essential medical care. This consistent engagement has demonstrably reinforced the bonds of friendship and trust between the United States and its partners throughout the region, fostering a climate of cooperation and mutual respect.
On its first mission, Continuing Promise deployed with the USNS Comfort — although other ships such as the USNS Mercy, USS Kearsarge, and USS Iwo Jima have been used — and visited 12 countries where U.S. personnel and their partner nations counterparts provided medical care both aboard the ship and in mobile clinics specifically set up on land for that purpose.
The mission saw consistent progress in the years that followed, including adopting new technologies and adapting them to the needs of the region. Even in the face of challenges, including logistical and operational disruptions and the global COVID-19 pandemic, the mission has demonstrated increasing strength and dedication to its regional commitment.
Building on success
Among the mission’s frequent destination, the Dominican Republic stands out as having significantly benefited from its support, with this year marking Continuing Promise’s seventh stop to the Caribbean nation. During the last mission’s stop in 2022, then Dominican Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa expressed his gratitude for the ship’s visit, underscoring the positive and strong bilateral relations.
“This mission’s stop […], and that of that formidable floating hospital, is a confirmation in time and space of the close and solid ties of friendship between the Dominican Republic and the United States, always committed to regional defense and security,” Lt. Gen. Díaz said.
Panama is yet another country that has seen substantial positive impact from the repeated deployments of Continuing Promise. Such were the words of then Panamanian Minister of Health Rosario Turner at the conclusion of the 2019 stop.
“We want to give thanks to the government of the United States because since 2007, we have highly benefited from the presence of the hospital ship Comfort,” she said. “This team effort has allowed us to reduce the waiting list of health services for the people of Colón, and the result of this mission has been so successful that is has surpassed the expectations that were initially set.”
A complementary mission
In a parallel effort, AFSOUTH will carry out mission AMISTAD, further expanding medical support across the region. These air medical brigades have bolstered local health systems and fostered greater international cooperation. The mission sees U.S. Air Force and National Guard personnel collaborating with local medical professionals to share expertise, enhance emergency readiness, and deliver services like dentistry, optometry, and surgery.
The most recent AMISTAD 24, held in Paraguay, underscored the value of international collaboration, and this year’s iteration will extend its support to a wider range of countries.
AFSOUTH also recently concluded its 2025 Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) mission on April 11, bolstering regional partnerships and advancing medical readiness. From Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Knits and Nevis, to Guyana, U.S. medical teams treated more than 6,500 patients and performed nearly 2,400 procedures in collaboration with host nation providers.
Commitment to the future
As Continuing Promise embarks on its 15th year and AMISTAD expands its reach, these SOUTHCOM missions underscore the United States’ consistent and evolving commitment to the health and stability of Latin America and the Caribbean. The ongoing dedication demonstrated by U.S. military and civilian personnel, and that of their counterparts in the region, reflects a shared investment in the well-being and security of the hemisphere for years to come.
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