NATO, USAFE host international flight surgeons

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Markus M. Maier
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  NATO Allied Air Component Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe hosted more than 200 military international medical personnel here March 14-18 as part of the 2011 European Flight Surgeons Conference and NATO Research and Technology Organization Short Course.

Flight surgeons, public health officers, medical technicians, aerospace physiologists and nurses from 18 countries came to Ramstein for the 14th annual conference to build partnerships and learn about developing advancements in aeromedical evacuation and critical care air transport.

"This is the largest conference for this audience outside the U.S., and a classic example of the partnership between USAFE and the NATO Research and Technology Component," said Col. Mark Coakwell, U.S. Air Forces in Europe Command Surgeon's Office chief of aerospace medicine. "This conference has been going on for 14 years. It started out with a small number of USAFE flight surgeons and over the years has grown to become an international event."

Fifty-six presenters from 11 nations shared their expertise on subjects ranging from "forward aeromedical evacuation in Afghanistan" to "rotary wing in-flight critical care."

"The international cooperation is vital to increase the interoperability," said German Col. (Dr.) Lothar Bressem, European Air Transport Command Aeromedical Evacuation Control Center branch chief. "The goal is to see how the different nations approach the same challenges. One way to do this is to come together and talk about procedures, equipment and challenges, and learn from each other."

The conference didn't just consist of briefings and discussions. The group was also given the opportunity to observe some Ramstein aeromedical operations during a tour of U.S. Air Force aircraft used to transport patients, including a C-130J Super Hercules, C-21A and a C-17 Globemaster III.

"Going out to the flight line and looking into the actual airplanes to see how the equipment and the work-space is arranged, what are the advantages and the disadvantages, is very important," Colonel Bressem said. "This is much better than just powerpoint slides. The attendees were very grateful for this opportunity."
As the number of participants grew over the years, so have the number of countries represented, according to Colonel Bressem.

"This year we also have representatives from Austria, Singapore, Russia, Iraq and Romania," he said. "These are the countries we don't get to interact with often, so it is nice to have them here."

The Singaporean delegation learned about this opportunity while at another NATO conference in Brussels, Belgium.

"A lot of our training for flight surgeons is done overseas," said Maj. (Dr.) Jason Low, Republic of Singapore Air Force flight surgeon. "Being an active part of the international community is definitely important for us, so we can continue to learn and benchmark some of our best practices."

He enjoyed learning about the American aeromedical evacuation system, but also expressed interest in the European process.

"Some of their forces are very small, much like the Singaporean armed forces," said Major Low. "A lot of lessons have been learned that we can bring back and hopefully improve the things we do back home," Major Low said.