Medical Care Changing on the Battlefield

Photo By Spc. Dean Do | U.S. Army Reserve Cpl. Hunter Collins, 7243rd Medical Support Unit, conducts an evaluation on a patient as part of the Patient Care Augmentation Detachment assessment at exercise Global Medic on Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug. 15, 2022. The Medical Readiness Training Command conducts Exercise Global Medic as part of the Army Reserve Medical Command's larger mission to provide trained, equipped and combat ready units and medical personnel to support the total force on the battlefields of today and tomorrow. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. Dean Do)  

FT. MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

08.15.2022

Story by 1st Sgt. Tracy Korff 

Exercise News Day

FORT MCCOY, WI. – Four medical professionals volunteered to continue the experimental assessment of the Prolonged Care Augmentation Detachment, a concept being assessed by Army Futures Command while participating in Global Medic 22-02, Aug. 15, 2022, Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin. The PCAD assessment was led by Lt. Col, Mark Marquart, AFC, Futures and Concept Center, Medical Capabilities Development Integration Division, San Antonio, Texas.

Meant to operate during future Large-Scale Combat Operations that could overwhelm forward medical capabilities, the PCAD is a way to provide prolonged care when evacuation isn't readily available.

"Our tyranny of distance in certain regions will create a need to provide prolonged care further forward in the battlefield," said Marquart.

The goal of the PCAD is to treat patients as far forward as possible. Currently the minimal team consists of four personnel: a physician assistant, a critical care nurse, a licensed practical nurse, and a combat medical specialist.

"We have to have patients safely cared for until we can evacuate them back," said Marquart "the unit supporting the warfighters know that patients have safe care, and they can continue to fight the battle."

Evaluating the concept using the small segment of support allows the volunteers to provide feedback in a real scenario-based situation. Feedback will be used to assist in developing and adjusting doctrine.

Cpl. Hunter Collins, a combat medical specialist from the 7243 Medical Support Unit, Las Vegas, Nevada, said, "most of the time you receive guidance and wonder who wrote it and now we can say we contributed."

The assessment is focused on what requirements will ensure that the PCAD will be successful in the next generation of conflict and enhance the force's ability to compete globally, deter adversaries and win on all-domain battlefields in an era of strategic competition.

"This is not Army specific," said Marquart, "whether it be the right skill-set, the right training, the right equipment, we will share the assessment, so they do not have to recreate it."

The Army established Army Futures Command to drive Army modernization by leading a campaign of learning to understand how technology will change how Army forces organize and fight to deliver speed, range, convergence and decision dominance in the future operational environment.

"We'll continue to assess because we don't rush to failure. We're going to take every opportunity to ensure that the final product that goes to the field is the right product" said Marquart.

• Date Taken: 08.15.2022
• Date Posted: 08.15.2022 23:43
• Story ID: 427317
• Location: FT. MCCOY, WI, US