This is the official Navy web site for USNS COMFORT,"Medical Treatment Facility" and is provided as a public service by the Commanding Officer. See the Privacy Act and Security Info page for more information about the use of personal data. We welcome your questions or comments, please
forward them via the FEEDBACK page.
Our Mission
The primary mission of the Medical Treatment Facility (MEDTRE
FAC) in USNS Comfort is to provide a mobile, flexible, and
rapidly responsive afloat medical capability for acute
medical and surgical care in support of amphibious task
forces, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force elements, forward
deployed Navy elements of the fleet and fleet activities
located in areas where hostilities may be imminent.
Operations are governed by the principles of the "Geneva
Convention for the Amelioration of the Wounded, Sick, and
Shipwrecked Members of the Armed Forces at Sea" of August
12, 1949.
As a secondary mission, MEDTRE FAC COMFORT is capable of
providing a full hospital service asset for use by other
government agencies involved in the support of relief and
humanitarian operations worldwide. These mission statements
are accountable to both the Reduced Operating Status (ROS)
and Full Operating Status (FOS) military personnel staffed
at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda MD. until the
ship is activated. However, the ROS personnel's immediate
and number one priority is to fully activate the ship to a
FOS Echelon III Medical Treatment Facility within the
prescribed 5-day time frame. In meeting these missions, the
ROS personnel perform the following functions:
Serve as the nucleus of the critical core required
to execute activations;
Develop, test, and maintain systems and procedures
to support activation process;
Orient and train FOS augmenting staff;
Monitor/assess the medical treatment facility's
overall ability to fully activate/perform mission
