Story highlights The USS Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group has already been conducting rescue operations in the region

The US Air Force is also sending additional aircraft to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Washington (CNN) The US military is planning to deploy the USNS Comfort hospital ship to assist with FEMA's response efforts in Puerto Rico a week after Hurricane Maria smashed the island as a Category 4 storm, several defense officials told CNN.

The Comfort is a seagoing medical treatment facility "capable of providing resuscitation and stabilization care; initial wound and basic surgery; and postoperative treatment," according to the US Navy.

Puerto Rican officials asked for additional medical assistance from the ship after initially indicating that they wanted to focus on getting power restored to damaged hospitals on shore, US officials told CNN.

CARIBBEAN SEA (April 10, 2015) Military Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) sits anchored off the coast of Belize for it's first mission stop during Continuing Promise 2015.

While the Comfort is on the way, according to FEMA administrator Brock Long, it may not deploy for another week -- within five to nine days as additional forces are activated to help man the ship along with its current crew of about 18 civilian mariners.

The crew is expected to grow to as many 60 and the medical crew could increase from the approximately 65 now with the ship to as many as 1,200, according to officials.

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