CARTAGENA, Colombia – (Aug. 16, 2024) – Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) departed from Cartagena, Colombia on Aug. 16, 2024 after its fourth mission stop as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2024 (CP24).

“This mission stop was incredibly successful,” said Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Smith, mission commander for CP24. “We worked very closely with our Colombian Navy counterparts and left things better than we found them. That’s always a win.”

CP24’s medical engagement team worked with nine medical professionals from the South Carolina Army National Guard as part of the State Partnership Program, which carries out more than 1,000 events in partner nations every year to increase partner capacity and improve interoperability.

Together alongside Colombian Navy, Army, Air Force, and civilian practitioners, Continuing Promise medical professionals treated 645 patients, filled 2,073 prescriptions, saw 306 ophthalmology patients, and assisted 221 dental patients with cleaning, extraction, and cavity fillings across 11 events while in Colombia. Meanwhile, U.S. Navy biomedical equipment technicians serviced and repaired $636,000 worth of medical equipment throughout the mission stop.

“It was great being able to work hand-in-hand with [Colombian] technicians and be able to share some of our best practices… in some of the machinery that they may have not seen before or with troubleshooting,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Marcus Crenshaw. “It was a give and take and be able to share our experiences.”

U.S. Southern Command civilian personal and non-government organization experts trained 196 Colombian Army, Navy, Air Force, and civilian first response and disaster relief personnel through search and rescue tactics and collapsed structure responses throughout the week, which culminated in two Colombian-led field training exercises to demonstrate what they learned.

A veterinarian and three veterinary technicians from the U.S. Army’s 248th Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support collaborated with several host nation veterinary groups while in Colombia including the Colombian Navy, the local government, and veterinary students from several local universities. Through their combined efforts, they cared for 526 animals, including 378 sterilization surgeries in addition to wellness, vaccination, deworming, and sick call visits. Continuing Promise veterinary professionals also trained 90 Colombian military personnel on how to care for and train their working dogs.

Onboard the ship another group was ready to work in Colombia: the U.S. Fleet Forces Band “Uncharted Waters.” The band conducted a total of nine engagements such as master classes with local Colombian music students, public concerts, and joint rehearsals with Colombian musicians. Their visit to Colombia culminated with a joint performance with Colombian Navy Big Band, Colombian Army Orchestra, Fine Arts Symphony of Cartagena, and Tierra Bomba Choral Group for a crowd of U.S. and Colombian military service members and Cartagenians at Teatro Adolfo Mejia.

A detachment of ten U.S. Navy construction specialists, known as Seabees, from Naval Construction Battalion One, completed a total of 429 manhours of labor across two projects. The team assisted the Colombian Navy and local officials to begin a project on an outdoor eating and resting area for students at an elementary school in Las Europas, a rural area in the province of Bolívar. They also partnered with Colombian Naval Forces to assist the Department of Health for the city of Cartagena and contractors and volunteers from the Hospital Local Cartagena de Indias renovate a clinic at the hospital.

“They took lead of the planning so that we were able to provide the support and labor,” said Builder 1st Class Gabriel Murga Altan about the Colombian Navy. “They coordinated with the local government, the schools, and the clinic, so the impact that we were able to make in Colombia was bigger.”

CP24 Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) seminars hosted 223 attendees from a variety of local and national human rights and gender violence non-government organizations, as well as military members from the Colombian Army, Navy, and Air Force. These seminars mainly focused on identifying and combating gender-based violence and discrimination within the local community and the military. CP24 WPS leadership also coordinated with Colombian military leaders to host a joint roundtable discussion on military-focused gender-based topics aboard the Burlington.

USNS Burlington will now head to its final mission stop of Continuing Promise 2024 in Colon, Panama before returning to the United States.

USNAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT is the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South American maritime forces leading to greater unity, security and stability. Learn more about USNAVSOUTH/4th Fleet at https://www.fourthfleet.navy.mil, https://www.facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT, and @NAVSOUS4THFLT.