Ensign Lacy Burkett, a sailor with family ties to Houston, Texas, is serving aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy as part of Pacific Partnership 2024-1 (PP24-1).

Mercy departed its homeport in San Diego on Oct. 10, 2023, with more than 800 military medical personnel and support staff with the afloat medical treatment facility and more than 70 civil service mariners to participate in the 19th iteration of the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

This annual maritime humanitarian and civic assistance mission focuses on improving disaster response preparedness, resiliency and capacity while enhancing partnerships with participating nations and civilian humanitarian organizations throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

“This mission reflects the continued commitment to the region and dedication to disaster-response-readiness from the United States, our partners and allies, and the host nations,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Quin, the mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2024-1.

Burkett is serving as a public affairs officer responsible for telling the Navy’s story and providing strategic advice on how to communicate to the masses, both internally and externally.

“Pacific Partnership is a unique mission that not many have the opportunity to be a part of," said Burkett. "Being able to work side-by-side with our host nations and seeing the difference we are making in people’s lives is truly rewarding.”

Host nations invite the U.S. Navy and its mission partners to visit and conduct tailored humanitarian civic action activities in areas such as engineering, disaster response, host nation outreach events and public health. Additional criteria are also taken into consideration such as U.S. Navy and partner nation regional interests as well as host nation objectives and desires.

“My first deployment was aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as an aviation electronics technician,” said Burkett. “An operational mission is vastly different from a humanitarian mission. For an operational mission, we are there for forward presence, to deter adversaries and to maintain a free and open ocean. With a humanitarian mission, we are working to build lasting partnerships and friendships with the countries we are working with.”

The Pacific Partnership mission team aboard USNS Mercy will make stops in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Experts in the fields of engineering, medicine and disaster response will partner with each host to conduct civic-action projects, community health exchanges, medical symposiums, and disaster response training activities.

“Pacific Partnership 2024 has shown me not only a different side of the military but it also allowed me to gain first-hand experience of other countries' cultures,” added Burkett. "I have always had a travel bug, and I love learning about new cultures. It helps me gain a better perspective on the world.”

The Pacific Partnership began in response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters, the Dec. 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of Southeast Asia. The mission has evolved over the years from an emphasis on direct care to an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject matter experts and civil-military exchanges.

For more info, visit NavyOutreach.blogspot.com