Arndt added another potential use of the MCD: In the event of “patients that we are ready to ‘evac out’ but the plane or ambulance is not here, we can move them down here to the MCD to free up our other beds and they can just stay in here until it’s time to go.”

The realistic medical training experience of casualty evacuation at Global Medic 2012 was carried forward through the presence of the Air Force 209th Expeditionary Operations Group (EOG) beside a dirt airfield a few kilometers from the CSH.

“The Air Force is going to provide the airlift for the theater,” explained Lt. Col. Pat Campbell, Operations Group commander for the 209th EOG. “And when people are injured in today’s war, a person injured in theater during the day can be at Landstuhl, Germany, that same evening. That saves a lot of lives.”

Campbell described the process of receiving different levels of the wounded from the CSH and “manifesting” them for further medical evacuation by helicopter or aircraft through the actions of elements like the Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Team.

“Typically speaking, this airfield might have fighters or Predators or some other fixed-wing aircraft,” he observed. “And the airlift planes being used for medical evacuation may just be coming through for medical. Now a lot of airplanes can be used to move wounded folks – not just C-130s and C-17s. But I need to control the airplanes and the facility. We are the group that brings unity of effort to the entire base.”

Normally assigned to the 914th Airlift Wing in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Campbell had previously participated in a Global Medic-East event in Alpena, Mich. Referring to the 2012 venue, he offered, “I’ve been wowed by the things that I’ve seen and the capability that exists. And a key piece of that is that the joint aspect of this training is emphasized so much. We have the Navy here with us. And we are working minute by minute with the Army. The future of war is joint – end of story. So the joint nature of this exercise is critically important. It’s a good program.”

In addition to the strong joint service participation, significant contractor support to the Global Medic event was provided by Lockheed Martin Global Training and Logistics under the Reserve Training Sites-Medical (RTS-MED) contract, which the company has held for approximately five years.

The Global Medic 2012 support reflects just one element of the RTS-MED effort, which involves support to multiple exercises and training events conducted each year. The mission is performed through the operation of three primary training facilities in the United States, with training delivered to 10,000 to 15,000 Army Reserve and other Department of Defense (DoD) component medical personnel throughout the year.

“The mission that we have to help the Army Reserve and to partner with the Medical Readiness Training Command in maintaining the medical readiness of all the medical staffs and soldiers in the field is critical,” offered Shaun Mitchell, RTS-MED program manager at Lockheed Martin.

“We provide all the training and knowledge that these folks need to build upon either medical school or medical training that they have received at the Army Medical Department Center and School,” he said. “We are there to reinforce that training and to make sure that they are able to apply it in a field environment.

“Global Medic is just the tip of what we do,” he added. “It’s much more far-reaching throughout the course of the year.”

Drawing from his own prior military experience as a colonel in the Medical Service Corps, he continued, “I saw that firsthand as we evacuated the sick and wounded during the [Operation Iraqi Freedom] ground campaign and then established our initial medical capability just south of Baghdad. And the skills that we teach, face to face – whether it’s medical/clinical skills, soldier skills, how to set up the hospital in the field and operate the sections, medical maintenance, ground maintenance, and the logistics that we provide – are absolutely something that every one of these soldiers and units have to master in preparation for and to successfully operate in a combat environment.”

“From the services side of Lockheed Martin, this is extremely meaningful work,” echoed Susan Junker, health services director at Lockheed Martin Global Training and Logistics. “And it fits into the Lockheed Martin global security picture in that this has ramifications beyond the Department of Defense. These are things that, when the DoD does deploy – whether for a humanitarian mission or assisting allied countries – this is a huge part of our nation’s approach and policy. We understand that. And we think that our job is to translate that by providing the best training – by introducing some innovations where affordable – and by continually providing the expertise that we have throughout this program.”

 

This story was first published in The Year in Veterans Affairs & Military Medicine 2012-2013 Edition