“We value the knowledge and best practices we will exchange in the coming 12 days on this our sixth mission to Vietnam and the friendships we will undoubtedly make,” said Captain Christopher Engdahl, Pacific Partnership 2015 mission commander at the welcoming ceremony.
Preparing for natural disasters before they happen is vital to the stability of the Pacific region, Captain Engdahl said, adding the PP15 mission allows our nations to better prepare now so that we are able to respond effectively and seamlessly integrate during future multinational relief efforts.
While in Danang, the more than 1,000 medical staff aboard Mercy will perform surgical procedures, host community health engagements, and provide direct patient care at a variety of locations.
In addition to medical care, PP15 personnel will work and train side-by-side with the community on civic service events, safety topics, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, water search and rescue, veterinary care, and community outreach projects.
PP15 participants on the ship and on the ground include personnel from Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Timor-Leste.
Now in its tenth iteration, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region.
