Summer - United States Special Operations Command

Rhett Wallace MD FAAFPLTC MC SFS DMOSenior Medical AdvisorNATO SOF Coordination CenterBonjour from the Supreme Headquarters AlliedPowers Europe (SHAPE), deep in the heart of Wallonia inMons, Belgium. Since my arrival a year ago as the firstNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) SOF SeniorMedical Advisor (MEDAD), the NATO Special OperationsCoordination Center (NSCC) has moved from “concept,”through initially operational capable, to declaring full operationalcapability, with recent approval to progress toward becominga NATO SOF Headquarters (NSHQ). Currently westand as a fully-functioning and operationally relevant organizationtasked with advising, coordinating, and influencingNATO operations, policies, and exercises.Many readers are familiar with the challenges of establishinga new organization – wading through the processof identifying priorities, developing a network of key stakeholders,writing standard operating procedures, and movingforward with the work at hand. This year has included all ofthat and more. It is more than a job; it’s an adventure!As all good SOF operations begin, so has this one,with gathering information, learning the language and cultureof the locals, establishing relationships, and then throughand with the indigenous population affecting our desiredchange (in this context, however, the indigenous populationis made up of the Allies). My goal as the Senior Medical Advisoris to set the conditions and create the policy and doctrinefor defining and understanding international SOFmedical capabilities and requirements. This will enableNATO SOF to support operations with the right people (capability),in the right place, at the right time to keep our forceshealthy, mitigate risk, and decrease morbidity and mortality.Understanding NATO and operating within its combined,joint structure can at times be frustrating. Some ofyou have experienced this while operating within current orpast NATO operations. NATO has its own culture, language,and politics all filtered through a collective consensus of politicalwill.NATO is currently an Alliance of 28 nations with Albaniaand Croatia added this year; and 26 of these possesstheir own Special Operations Forces. Each nation within theAlliance has as an equal voice, and remains sovereign as theycontribute politically to exert their national wills, agendas,and goals within the Alliance. The North Atlantic Counsel(NAC) is NATO’s supreme political body and is located inBrussels, Belgium. The NAC’s guidance is delegatedthrough the International Staff (IS) dealing with political issues,and through the Defense Planning Committee (DPC)and Military Committee (MC) dealing with military aspectsof NATO. The Allied Command for Operations (ACO),under the Command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe(SACEUR), is the military arm of this consensual politicalbody. The ACO is located in Mons, Belgium at SHAPE.The ACO, through the direction of the NAC, the DefensePlanning Counsel (DPC), the Military Committee (MC) andthe International Staff (IS) is NATO’s military means by elective,collective contribution to effect change desired byNATO’s consensual political will.TSOC Surgeon 97