EMEDS training prepares medics, supports interoperability

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Donner
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
VIPAVA ARMY BASE, Slovenia --  The medical portion of Immediate Response 15, the 13-day multinational, tactical field exercise, kicked off Sept. 9, here.

The U.S. Air Forces Expeditionary Medical Support training is just one aspect of the exercise, which takes place across Croatia and Slovenia and includes military members from nine nations.

EMEDS are U.S. Air Force modular medical response packages and equipment used in contingency operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. They are designed to be used in austere locations to conduct medical operations on short notice. The training is aimed to teach medical personnel basic procedures for setup. 

The combination of Airmen from U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa along with U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers and partner nation service members resembles a modern military deployment.

"We have Airmen here from Spangdahlem, Ramstein, [Royal Air Force] Lakenheath and Aviano," said U.S. Air Force Col. David Robinson, 31st Medical Group deputy commander and EMEDS participant. "When we deploy you don't deploy with everyone from your base, it's going to be more of a mixed bag, which is one of the main benefits of this training."

Immediate Response 15 is designed to bring partner nations and U.S. military services together to improve NATO interoperability and regional security.

"This is a great opportunity to build on our interoperability with our NATO allies and gives our Airmen and Soldiers a chance to share their knowledge," said Robinson. "[The exercise] benefits everyone because it gets us all working together."

According to Robinson, working with the Army Reserve adds a unique aspect to the training.

"We had several opportunities to share how we do things," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Martha S. Roellig, 352nd Combat Support Hospital, Alpha Company emergency room physician. "This is good for the Soldiers also because we are increasingly more integrated between the services than we have ever been in the past. Our foreign partners have been a great asset in our training because they are willing to offer tips and share how they operate."

The training also afforded participants the chance to learn about equipment used by other nations.

"We had an opportunity to train on a Slovenian ambulance and truck," said Robinson. "This training is invaluable because in a joint environment you never know what the patients will arrive in or what will be available for transportation."

The success of the EMEDS training is due to the support from the exercise's host, Slovenia, said Robinson.

The Airmen, Soldiers and international partners will have an opportunity to put everything they learn into practice during a multi-day exercise later in the week.