Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hughes | Members of the Combined Joint Theatre Medical Component take a group photo in...... read more read more
The U.S. Army’s 18th Theater Medical Command arrived in Queensland, Australia, on July 8, 2025, to establish a Combined Joint Theater Medical Component (CJTMC) with their Australian Defence Force allies. The CJTMC will provide medical support to troops across Australia and Papua New Guinea, the co-location nations of Talisman Sabre 25 (TS25).
“Our purpose is to control, coordinate, and synchronize the theatre health network, encompassing health support across the region and serving as a vital interface between our military and civilian health systems,” said Royal Australian Air Force Air Cdre. Nicole dos Santos, commander of the CJTMC.
The CJTMC is a rapidly evolving concept, continually refined since its initial implementation during TS23. Its focus is on enhancing the integration and delivery of world-class medical care to service members while deployed.
“People are the most valuable resource we have,” said U.S. Army Col. Lee Burnett, Deputy Commanding Officer of 18th TMC and officer-in-charge of its forward element in Australia. “Expanding our understanding of each other’s operations ensures interoperability and will save lives when we respond to real-world challenges together.”
While emphasizing her collective approach, dos Santos said, “the CJTMC is patient-centered and mission-focused. We are here as military healthcare providers, and there is no greater honor than ensuring our warfighters receive the care they need, when they need it.”
The geographical scope of TS25 is significant. Australia and the contiguous United States cover roughly the same land area, 4.8 M sq mi (7.7 M km) and 5 M sq mi (8.1 M km) respectively.
As Australian Army Col. Damon Higginbotham, deputy commander of the CJTMC, explained, “training activities span from Darwin in the north, down the east coast to Jervis Bay … as well as maritime operations off Australia’s coast.” He likened the training area to a region stretching from Minnesota to Florida in the continental U.S.
This vast mission demands close cooperation between participating nations.
“Talisman Sabre presented both challenges and opportunities to explore new approaches to health support,” said dos Santos. “Integrating the health support systems of 19 partner nations into a cohesive network was crucial, ensuring a safe and efficient pathway to definitive care for anyone injured, regardless of location. A key challenge is ensuring adequate medical supplies, blood, bed capacity, and evacuation assets are available to support our personnel.”
Beyond direct patient care, the CJTMC is leveraging TS25 to field and validate new medical technologies aimed at modernizing practices for both nations.
“We’re testing technologies at the (tactical) level and, at the CJTMC level, developing a medical common operating picture (MEDCOP) that integrates military and national health system data,” dos Santos explained. “This will allow us to effectively coordinate and manage patient care from the point of injury through the entire network.”
TS25 provides a valuable opportunity for Australia and the U.S. to rehearse responses to potential regional security concerns and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief scenarios.
“The alliance between the United States and Australia is one of the strongest in the world,” Burnett stated. “Given the vastness of the Indo-Pacific region, 62 million square miles, the U.S. and Australia are the two nations that must have synchronized and interoperable medical capabilities. We’re here to understand each other’s operations, identify similarities and differences, and resolve any potential friction points before a crisis arises.”
Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key allies and partners, while enhancing our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns.
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2025 07:59 |
| Story ID: | 543698 |
| Location: | QUEENSLAND, AU |
| Hometown: | FORT SHAFTER, HAWAII, US |
| Hometown: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 432 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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