18 November 2022
From Grady Fontana
CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN - While elements of Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) deployed to Okinawa prefecture, Japan, and participated successful workout Keen Sword 23 (KS23), Nov. 10-19, the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) took a full Navy Medicine attack successful the aesculapian readying and acceptable the conditions that enabled large engagement successful enactment of KS23.
“This workout shows the powerfulness of Navy Medicine arsenic portion of an integrated Naval combat capability,” said Rear Adm. Darin K. Via, lawman surgeon wide of the Navy and lawman chief, BUMED. “There was operational readying and coordination crossed the Navy-Marine Corps squad and astatine each levels crossed One Navy Medicine. This workout lets america amended measure however we deploy and tally an expeditionary aesculapian installation (EMF) successful enactment of large combat operations. It was a palmy trial of however our units tin organize, bid and equip forces for unit employment by the combatant commands.”
Keen Sword 23 is simply a biennial, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command-scheduled, and U.S. Pacific Fleet-sponsored tract grooming workout (FTX). The joint/bilateral FTX runs done Nov. 19. KS23 is designed to heighten Japan-U.S. combat readiness and interoperability portion strengthening bilateral relationships and demonstrating U.S. resoluteness to enactment the information interests of allies and partners successful the region.
In KS23, Navy Medicine exercised the employment of expeditionary hospitalization connected the First Island Chain with bilateral engagement with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). The First Island Chain refers to the archetypal concatenation of large Pacific archipelagos retired from the East Asian continental mainland coast.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command requested Navy Medicine supply an EMF and supporting elements to conscionable capableness gaps successful the First Island Chain, with EMF capableness to receive, triage, treat, and process casualties successful a wide casualty event.
BUMED provided a tiny office constituent from NMFP, retired of Naval Base San Diego, and EMF 150-Alpha, retired of Camp Pendleton, Calif., to enactment medical-related workout scenarios astatine Camp Foster, Marine Corps Base S.D. Butler, Okinawa prefecture, Japan.
To facilitate planning, BUMED flexed its caller organizational restructure that intimately aligns functions with Navy operational commands. This included the instauration of a Maritime Headquarter (MHQ) and Maritime Operations Center (MOC) astatine BUMED that amended enabled the bid to integrate into the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command readying process.
In summation to the NMFP’s HQ constituent and EMF 150-A, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Okinawa and Yokosuka provided further wide casualty script involvement.
With Navy Medicine units moving successful concert, the BUMED assets integrated with a JGSDF aesculapian basal astatine a Naha infirmary successful Okinawa, and executed wide casualty script appraisal and effect drills, receiving casualties from III Marine Expeditionary Forces assistance stations and JGSDF dispensaries.
BUMED engagement successful KS23 demonstrated a caller laser absorption connected readiness and operational medicine—man, bid and equip.
“As we pivot to clasp our caller ngo acceptable and organizational structure, NMFP and each subordinate commands volition proceed to enactment the warfighter,” said Rear Adm. Guido F. Valdes, commander, NMFP. “We execute this enactment by ensuring our operational platforms are optimally manned, trained, and equipped; the warfighter is physically and mentally acceptable to combat tonight; the installation and warfare commandant are afloat supported; and we stay connected the cutting borderline of wellness and aesculapian probe to heighten deployment readiness of the Joint Forces.”
In the past, Navy Medicine played a ample relation successful the execution of the subject healthcare ngo astatine subject attraction facilities (MTF). In the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017 and 2019, Congress called for changes successful the subject wellness strategy (MHS), including the transportation of each MTFs to the Defense Health Agency by Sept. 30, 2021.
Navy Medicine information successful a ample bilateral and associated workout of this standard is simply a archetypal since the caller MHS transformation.
“BUMED hasn’t participated successful an workout similar this, to this standard successful a agelong time,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jefferson M. Moody, manager of aboriginal plans, N55, and MHQ/MOC aboriginal operations manager astatine BUMED. “KS-23 serves arsenic an FTX situation for Navy Medicine unit elements to maneuver with the associated unit and bilateral partnerships and beforehand HSS (health services support) interoperability.”
Naval Medical Forces Pacific provides oversight for 10 NMRTCs, connected the West Coast and Pacific Rim that man, train, and equip aesculapian forces, chiefly successful subject attraction facilities. NMFP besides oversees 8 probe laboratories that present cutting borderline wellness and aesculapian probe to heighten the deployment readiness and survivability of our Joint Forces.
English (US)