Training Supplement - United States Special Operations Command

Section XIV: Medical Operations—Task Force 31
(Extract from Center for Army Lessons Learned, Counterinsurgency Handbook)
Evacuation and Hospitalization
Medical service organization and procedures must adapt to the type of operations envisioned.
Medical support is complicated by:
• Distances between the installations where support must be provided.
• Use of small mobile units in independent or semi-independent combat operations in
areas through which ground evacuation may be impossible or from which aerial
evacuation of patients cannot be accomplished or will be significantly delayed.
• Vulnerability of ground evacuation routes to guerrilla ambush.
Several factors and measures may be used to overcome the complicating factors. The following
are examples of such measures:
• Establish aid stations with a treatment and holding capacity at lower echelons,
including static security posts and combat bases. Patients to be evacuated by ground
transport may be held until movement by secure means is possible. Use
forward-stationed surgical teams for area medical support of both U.S. and HN
patients.
• Provide sufficient air or ground transportation to move medical elements rapidly to
establish or reinforce existing treatment and holding installations where patients have
been unexpectedly numerous (i.e., mass casualty situations).
• Maximize use of air evacuation, both casualty evacuation and medical evacuation, to
include both scheduled and on-call evacuation support of static installations and
combat elements in the field.
• Provide small medical elements to augment extended combat patrols.
• Assign specially trained enlisted medical personnel (special operations medical
sergeants, independent duty corpsmen, etc.) who are capable of operating medical
treatment facilities for short periods with a minimum of immediate supervision.
• Use HN medical assistance for supervised work and formation of indigenous litter
bearer teams.
• Strictly supervise sanitation measures, maintenance of individual medical equipment
(both individual first aid kits and combat lifesaver kits/vehicle kits), and TCCC
training throughout the command.
• Increase emphasis on basic combat skills training of medical service personnel,
arming medical service personnel, and using armored carriers for ground evacuation
where feasible.
• Use indigenous medical resources and capabilities when available and professionally
acceptable (not acceptable in current situation in Afghanistan).
Fall 2008 Supplement 101