Page 146 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Spring 2016

from the
NATO SOF Surgeon

Thank You to a Friend to All afford to come to Belgium, while al-
lowing our team to gain a better un-
he Allied Joint Special Operations Michael D. Henry, MD derstanding of our Allies whom we do
Forces of the North American COL MC, USA (A) not have the opportunity to see due to
TTreaty Organization (NATO) Al- NATO Special Operations national fiscal constraints. Most impor-
lied and Partnered Nations remain en- Headquarters tantly, it established a stronger regional
gaged and busy supporting the lines of Medical Advisor/ network as we continue to work toward
operations of understanding, enhanc- Command Surgeon building capacity and interoperability.
ing, and countering as we work together Participation in these regional courses
to counter the ever present and real hy- provides an opportunity for other na-
brid threat to the east and participate in counterterrorist tions’ medics to visit, train, and interact with Allies in
activities originating from our southern flank. Our Spe- their home nation. I encourage you to participate if
cial Operations Forces (SOF) brethren remain engaged given the opportunity.
as they support operations both within their homeland
and while deployed, in an effort to keep their respective This spring, we are continuing our outreach in an effort
nations and the Alliance safe. As an Alliance, we strive to increase interoperability and capacity among the Alli-
toward increasing the Allied Joint SOF medical capac- ance and Partners through more regional training team
ity and the interoperability of our forces as we continue training in Georgia (not the one where Atlanta is lo-
to work together throughout the world in support of cated) and Bulgaria again. Rabbit, PAC, and the Univer-
United Nations, European Union, NATO, and national sity College Cork team are busy working to redesign the
missions. Special Operations Medical Leaders Course. Through
observation and recommendations from past students,
The SOF Symposium this past September (2015) was the new course will be 10 days long and will include
successful not only for NATO Special Operations Head- blocks of instruction on the basics of medical planning
quarters (NSHQ) but for the medical community as and include more planning exercises. The team is also
well. Nearly 50 medical participants from 12 nations at- working, with the help Joint Special Operations Medi-
tended the symposium. We were able to welcome some cal Training Center, to develop a NATO Special Opera-
newcomers to the Research Workshop. Thank you to tions Combat Medic (SOCM) sustainment course at the
all who participated in the workshop and discussions ACME. The intent is to provide the Fort Bragg-trained
and also to the industry partners who helped make this SOCMs and the NATO SOCMs in Europe with a 2-week
a first-rate event. NATO Special Operations Headquar- course of instruction to refresh the critical SOCM clini-
ters (NSHQ) plans to host a NATO SOF Symposium cal skills that they do not get to refresh at their home
every 2 years. This is a great opportunity, not only for us station. This is a bridging strategy allowing the Interna-
to interact and network but also to hear from our lead- tional Special Training Center (ISTC) to establish and
ership while informing them of what medicine can bring execute its NATO SOCM (NSOCM) and NSOCM Sus-
to the table in support of their initiatives and missions. tainment in the next 6 to 12 months. The ISTC team is
6 months out from their inaugural NSOCM course. The
The NSHQ Special Operations Medical Branch team success of this project is due to the very hard work of
took the Allied Center for Medical Education (ACME) their dedicated command team, medical team, the Nor-
show on the road to conduct the Special Operations dic NSOCM committee, and many other members of the
Medical Leaders Course in Bulgaria, NATO Special conventional and SOF medical community throughout
Operations Component Command—Afghanistan, and the Alliance. And by press time, the third Nordic SOCM
Lithuania this past fall. These regional training events Course will have graduated another 20 students. These
allow the team to train nations who normally cannot projects illustrate how the teamwork and dedication of

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