Page 14 - QARANC Vol 18 No 1 2020

12 The Gazette QARANC Association
Nationally Recruited Units Deploy on EX SABRE GUARDIAN 2019
Sabre Guardian 2019 was a co-led exercise by Romanian Land Forces and US Army Europe (USAREUR), a multinational exercise that forms part of an overarching Black Sea and Balkans Regional Exercise series. At various locations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Germany, it demonstrated air and land force integration through fast and reactive defensive operations whilst improving the integration of multinational combat forces. It included vehicle road marches, multiple river crossings, an air assault, a Joint Forcible Entry and a major interoperability medical exercise.
2nd Medical Brigade led, planned and delivered the UK Medical involvement in support of the major interoperability medical exercise, enhancing 30 (US) Med Bde capability, deploying assets from a number of Regular and Regional Field Hospitals and the three NRUs. Set against the backdrop of Interoperability, Soldier First and AMS Battlecraft Syllabus and in response to a growing requirement to demonstrate deployed capability in support of WARDEV this provided critical opportunity to further develop Medical Command and Control (Med C2) and Deployed Hospital Care (DHC) interoperability with the US iaw CFA priorities.
MOSG integrated into 30th US Medical Brigade HQ Rear in Semach, covering S1-S9 staff branches, with Liaison Officers deployed forward to Grafenwöhr. Their activities set the conditions for monitoring health system performance, provided effective C2 and Medical Intelligence up and down the command structure. MOSG personnel also delivered clinical mentoring and EXCON facilitation, with the Army Medical Services Training
‘A great team to work with, the NRUs individually and collectively demonstrated interoperability, clinical integration, leadership and co-operation’ Lt Col Maggie Durrant
Centre (AMSTC) team running the clinical scenarios to enhance the training value for the UK DHC treatment facilities (256 and 205 Field Hospitals).
335MER provided crews for four battlefield ambulances and an evacuation C4I cell. Patients were evacuated from the point of wounding to the UK and US DHC facilities, and they provided TACEVAC intra theatre between the treatment facilities. This tested the interoperability between UK and US equipment and medical staff and patient movements and STRATEVAC out of theatre. 335MER honed and enhanced their SOPs and TTPs whilst providing this medical evacuation capability, delivered in a complex exercising environment.
306HSR embedded their clinical specialists within the US 212th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) and delivered niche capability as part of the US Deployed Hospital Care (DHC). This included paediatrics, urology, neurology, maxillo-facial
surgery, general surgery, mental health, physiotherapy, radiography and midwifery, as well as supplementing with ED and theatre nurses. 306HSR undertook an effective comparison of US and UK SOPs to facilitate and enhance future interoperability with differences in techniques, language, skills and processes being reviewed and discussed collaboratively.
A great team to work with, the NRUs individually and collectively demonstrated interoperability, clinical integration, leadership and co- operation. Consistently delivered with a professional approach and positive attitude, in an expeditionary environment, the success and lessons identified will aid developments for future exercises. The following reflections illustrate EX SG19 as an excellent training opportunity.
Lieutenant Colonel Maggie Durrant Commanding Officer Medical Operational Support Group
SO2 Evac Coord, Medical Operational Support Group (MOSG)
Exercise Sabre Guardian 19 (EXSG19) was a joint medical exercise between UK Medical Personnel and US 30th Medical Brigade.
Its success was dependent on joint
medical participation, understanding, integration and interoperability.
Experienced in, and an instructor on, NATO patient evacuation co-ordination cell (PECC) management, I was
expecting to be utilised in this capacity when selected to deploy out onto the Grafenwöhr training area. However, it turned out the PECC wasn’t being ‘exercised’ and I was required instead