Fall - United States Special Operations Command

Peter J. Benson, MD
COL, USA
Command Surgeon
This past summer has proven to be the most costly in
terms of casualties since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The current intensity of ongoing combat operations
highlights the necessity to maintain the fielding of the best
trained, best equipped Army Special Operations medical
providers possible. Looking back across nearly a decade of
combat, the developments in Tactical Combat Casualty Care
(TCCC), and advances in medical products and devices have
been phenomenal. The direct result of the continuous training
and refinement of TCCC within USASOC has been the fundamental
decrease in the number of USASOC Soldiers who
die as a result of combat injuries.
Special Operations medicine must keep pace with innovations
in clinical “best practices,” use of the latest in drugs
and medical devices, and insure that medical training is on the
cutting edge. It is vitally important that USASOC’s Programs
of Instruction for didactic, simulation and practical exercise
training, as well as the equipment sets for ARSOF medical
providers, are continually updated. To do this requires the
input of USASOC’s Soldier-Providers, as well as the support
of commanders at all levels. Now is the time to set conditions
for the next 20 years of ARSOF’s engagement in the National
Defense Strategy. There may be uncertainties regarding future
U.S. policy for engagement, but there is little doubt that Army
Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) will be a major force in
the future.
USASOC providers must remain ready to plan, provide,
and manage Health Service Support in remote, austere
forward locations. The robust conventional medical infrastructure
of OEF and OIF will not be the model for future SOF
operations. Operational emphasis will certainly require maximizing
internal HSS capacity, but may include indigenous
medical resources and leveraging other conventional or Theater
HSS resources. Operations by smaller elements with minimal
external support will probably be the norm.
The upcoming ARSOF Medic (formerly the US-
ASOC Surgeon’s Conference) and SOMA Conferences in December
will be great venues for the exchange of information,
experiences, and new ideas. The USASOC Surgeon’s Staff has
worked hard to revamp the USASOC Conference to be more
applicable and useful to our enlisted providers, with relevant
briefings and hands-on training events. I look forward to seeing
many of you at the Conferences and I hope as many US-
ASOC providers who are able can make the trip.
Sine Pari.
Component Surgeon 71