 Hello, I'm Admiral Kurt Tidd, Commander of the United States Southern Command. Recently, the hospital ship USNS Comfort set sail for a two-month mission to bring medical care to Latin America. This marks the hospital ship's sixth voyage to the Americas and reflects the United States' enduring promise of friendship, partnership, and solidarity. As we travel through the region, we will be working side by side with our partner nations to bring high quality medical care to those who need it most. The Comfort team will include more than 200 US and partner nation doctors, nurses, and medical technicians and approximately 60 medical and dental professional volunteers from the United States and international non-governmental organizations. They are united in their commitment to help their fellow citizens. The USNS Comfort is just one example of our steadfast commitment to our partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. Southcom also engages in numerous humanitarian and engineering projects, working closely with our partners to promote security and prosperity in our shared hemisphere. We are proud members of this community and we look forward to working together to improve quality of life for our citizens through the Comfort deployment and future partnering opportunities.