PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12), the largest annual humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) mission in the Asia-Pacific region, will begin May 1, and include engagements with the host nations of Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

At the invitation of these nations, military and civilian professionals from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Thailand and the United States, along with non-government organizations (NGO) and international agencies, will partner to execute tailored HCA projects and subject matter expert exchanges.

These HCA projects and events, coordinated at the request of each host nation, will employ the collaborative capabilities of all participants in medical, dental, veterinary, public health services, engineering and disaster response activities that will help to increase confidence, capability and preparedness of host and partner nations to respond to natural disasters and crisis.

The PP12 mission platform is the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), now in its 25th year of service. MERCY is a hospital ship outfitted with HCA equipment, supplies and a staff augmented with a multi-specialized team of medical and dental professionals, veterinarians, and engineering personnel. It will deploy out of San Diego in early May to participate in PP12.

In addition to aiding the health, security, and improvement of disaster response capabilities of the host nations, the partnerships forged through Pacific Partnership missions help to ensure that the international community is better prepared to synchronize and function together as a coordinated force when disaster strikes.

For more information about the PP12 mission, please visit the Pacific Partnership website or engage with Pacific Partnership on Facebook and Twitter.