180504-N-RM689-0210

180504-N-RM689-0210 TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka (May 4, 2018) Surgical staff assigned to Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) for Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18) and the Sri Lankan surgical team from Base Hospital Mutur perform the first robot-assisted surgery on a patient while aboard the Mercy using the Da Vinci XI Robot Surgical System. PP18's mission is to work collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships across the Indo-Pacific Region. Pacific Partnership, now in its 13th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.