On March 30-April 14 military medics with the Lithuanian Armed Forces MD Jonas Basanavičius Military Medical Service are taking part in international medical NATO exercise Vigorous Warrior 2019. Nearly 60 military medics of career and reserve service are deepening their knowledge at the exercise held in Romania.
The exercise held in Romania this year is the largest exercise for training military medics in the history of the Alliance with participants from 38 NATO allies and partners. The Military Medical Service of the Lithuanian Armed Forces send medical support units of different specialties to the exercise every time, this year Lithuania' military medics are taking part with their designated equipment - containers, tents, medical equipment and devices, and recovery vehicles.
"This is the first time our medical personnel is fully deploying their support units during an exercise abroad and will participate independently in medical support provision phases. Working together allows military medics from different countries to show each other they are professionals and share the same values, and are ready to ensure medical support to a joint force," Lieutenant Colonel Inga Jancevičienė, commander of a medical support group, says.
The objective of the exercise is to train and assess NATO and partner nations' interoperability at medical support level during military operations. The exercise also highlights cooperation with civilian institutions during emergencies, medical command and control procedures, continuation of medical assistance, mobility and international cooperation in supporting joint military operations.
Over 20 different international medical support units will be deployed at Cincu Training Area in Romania during the exercise: primary level healthcare, including stabilisation of condition, triage and evacuation (forward) (or Role 1), secondary level healthcare, including damage control - (forward) surgery, diagnostics, tactical evacuation (or Role 2) , and secondary-tertiary level healthcare, including tactical evacuation (Role 3). During the exercise the training medics will rehearse giving medical aid, interacting with foreign colleagues, hone evacuation, medical logistics, and command and control procedures.
In total, over 1000 medical incidents are planned to be rehearsed at the exercise. Another characteristic of the exercise is interaction with civilian healthcare institutions of Romania. An alleged civilian emergency will be rehearsed with numerous injured in Bucharest and participation of military medical capabilities. Lithuanian military medics are planned to take part in that phase.
Exercise Vigorous Warrior
Every two years the exercise is organised by the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine (NATO MILMED COE) in Budapest, Hungary. The exercise is growing every time: it was held in Hungary and included participants from 5 countries in 2011, in 2017 it took place in Germany ad included participants from 26 countries.
POC: Capt Jūratė Vaitėkūnienė, +370 698 70884, jurate.vaitekuniene@mil.lt
Photo credits, related photo: Sgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
