Photo By LaShawn Sykes | 231017-N-AC165-1002 NORFOLK, Va. (Oct. 17, 2023) – Military Sealift Command’s...... read more read more
Norfolk, Va. (Oct. 19, 2023) – Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) tenth expeditionary fast transport vessel USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) returned home to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek (JEBLC) – Fort Story, Va., Oct. 17, after a three-month deployment in Latin America and the Caribbean. This deployment was a part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise (CP) 2023, a humanitarian assistance and goodwill mission in Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada.
U.S. 4th Fleet embarked U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Fleck who served as the officer in charge for the embarked military detachment (MILDET) team. Burlington’s shipmasters, Captains Tyler Driscoll and Adam Streeper, were responsible for maintaining the operation and safety of the vessel and the discipline of the 120 Burlington crewmembers that included civil service mariners (CIVMARS), U.S. Navy Sailors, and a medical engagement team.
The embarked medical engagement team, working alongside host nation medical personnel, provided critical medical care to citizens in local community clinics. The engagement team included veterinarians and biomedical technicians, along with Navy Seabees who conducted small engineering-construction projects and the U.S. Fleet Forces Navy Band that hosted live music performances.
While this evolution marked the 13th CP mission to the region since 2007, this was Burlington’s first time serving as the deploying platform for a Continuing Promise mission said Fleck. “Much credit goes to Military Sealift Command and the top-notch skills of their civil service mariners who were instrumental in assisting us in overcoming some of the challenges faced in this proof of concept. The collaborative cadence of the military-CIVMAR team displayed great resilience in order to complete the mission successfully and bring everyone home safely.”
Steaming throughout the Caribbean for three months, the Burlington team had several highlights worth nothing. Working in tandem, the team provided vital medical care to 6,100 patients, administered 950 vaccinations, and dispensed 8,750 prescriptions. The U.S. Navy Biomedical Equipment Repair team collaborated with host nation medical personnel to repair and troubleshoot medical equipment, valued at more than $500,000. The U.S. Navy Seabees took on construction and engineering projects that benefited host nation schools, hospitals, and local communities. The U.S. Navy Fleet Forces band hosted 5,000 people and performed 26 live concerts for U.S. and foreign military officials, U.S. ambassadors, and other host nation leaders. Additionally, the Burlington team conducted several subject matter expert exchanges that ranged from public health issues to epidemic infectious diseases to disaster response training and Women, Peace, and Security initiatives. “Your dedication and steadfast commitment to mission completion helped to further enhance regional interoperability and create long lasting friendships for generations to come – all of which is in keeping with the Navy's enduring promise to the region, said U.S. Navy Capt. Jamie A. Murdock, commodore of Military Sealift Command – Atlantic.
Echoing Murdock’s sentiments, Streeper acknowledged that Continuing Promise 2023 was a huge success. “Because of the vessel’s unique capabilities, EPFs are frequently called upon to support the Navy’s medical and humanitarian missions. These missions are, often, located in austere environments, in various fleets worldwide, where larger draft vessels cannot berth – which is not a problem for the spearhead class ship. Designed perfectly, EPFs are able to meet the demands and requirements of the military and the logistic planners who create these missions for MSC to execute. Additionally, the CIVMAR and MILDET crews’ ability to integrate seamlessly, in order to carry out the daily mission requirements, was the key to our success. I am quite proud of the work we accomplished. It is always great to leave a location better than we found it, and we did just that – through medical and humanitarian engagements, cooperative learning and training with partner nations, and the community relations carried out at the four port stops visited.”
Burlington is a 338-foot-long aluminum catamaran designed to be fast, flexible and maneuverable, even in austere ports, making it ideal for rapidly transporting troops and equipment within a theater of operations. The 20,000-square-foot mission bay area can be re-configured to adapt quickly to whatever tasking given to the vessel, which includes anything from carrying containerized portable hospitals to support disaster relief to transporting tanks and troops.
Burlington is one of 14 EFP vessels planned for the Navy. It’s a government vessel owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by Military Sealift Command. It is capable of carrying up to 312 passengers.
Military Sealift Command exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations. MSC provides on-time logistics, strategic sealift, as well as specialized missions anywhere in the world, under any condition, 24/7, 365 days a year.
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2023 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 456138 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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