Photo By Lt. Col. Kristin Porter | Master Sgt. Chad Brown, 139th Medical Brigade Clinical Operations NCO, leads 139th...... read more read more
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FORT DIX, N.J. – The 139th Medical Brigade recently completed focused and mission-driven training at Regional Medic 2025, sharpening its ability to provide command and control (C2) over an array of Combat Health Support (CHS) and Health Service Support (HSS) elements in a simulated large-scale combat operations environment.
With sights firmly set on next year’s Global Medic evaluation, the brigade spent two intensive weeks at Fort Dix preparing its headquarters to respond dynamically to medical missions based on scenario injects.
“It’s all about requirements and resources and how we apply those to the battlefield,” said Col. Terry Hale, Commander of the 139th Medical Brigade. “We’re training on our Mission Essential Tasks (METs), especially command and control of medical units in combat situations. That includes disease threats, behavioral health, field hospital long-hold scenarios, and alternate patient movement solutions when traditional routes are compromised.”
Building on a Crawl-Walk-Run Foundation for Staff Proficiency
Preparation for the exercise began with a deliberate build-up starting at last year’s staff exercise (STAFFEX) in July and this spring’s field training exercise (FTX), which laid the groundwork for the brigade’s performance at Regional Medic.
According to Master Sgt. Robert James IV, the brigade’s Plans NCO, Regional Medic represents the "walk" phase of their year-long training plan to improve internal cohesion, practice doctrine-based decision-making, and align their operational tempo with theater-level requirements.
“We evaluated our TACSOP (tactical standard operating procedures), manning document, and capabilities. We identified gaps, found creative solutions, and ensured leadership understood where risk was acceptable,” said James.
The brigade emphasized battle drills, the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), and operations order (OPORD) development throughout Regional Medic. Staff conducted section-level reviews and full-team discussions to refine responses to real-world battlefield injects, including mass casualty events, limited aeromedical evacuation routes, loss of key medical personnel (e.g., a cardiothoracic surgeon), behavioral health incidents, and complex logistics and movement challenges.
Capt. Gary Knight, 139th Medical Brigade HHC Commander, emphasized how reviewing, updating and executing battle drills form the foundation of medical command and control.
“We looked at drills like a soldier’s death and how it impacts S1 reporting, S3/Clinical Operations, and HHC functions in a request for forces,” said Knight. “This is a significant task when overseeing multiple units, so it’s crucial we have our battle drills locked in.”
The brigade also used the Leader Training Program and Staff Tables to improve OPORD development and mission planning.
“We’re working hard on our communications, both with our subordinate units and higher headquarters,” said Hale. “We’ve got to be able to push out requirements and apply resources quickly.”
Throughout Regional Medic, the 139th Medical Brigade provided C2 over medical assets, including field hospitals, hospital centers, veterinary teams, Combat Operational Stress Control (COSC) units, and preventive medicine units.
The focus on asset placement, mission support planning, and adaptive responses to injects in real-time at Regional Medic now leads the brigade into planning for complex joint operations at Global Medic 2026. Hale has the unit already thinking mobility, deploying rapidly, and dispersion capabilities within a LSCO theater of operations.
Brig. Gen. Cindy Saladin-Muhammad, Deputy Commander of the 807th Theater Medical Command, reinforced the strategic value of events like Regional Medic.
“These exercises are the first opportunity for our units to perform collective training after individual tasks,” Saladin-Muhammad said. “They should enter Regional Medic in the ‘walk’ phase, aiming to be ‘running’ by Global Medic. This enhances readiness, leadership cohesion, and interoperability, all crucial for deployment preparation.”
Regional Medic 2025 proved to be a pivotal step for the 139th Medical Brigade, not only in honing critical C2 functions but also in building team cohesion and warfighter readiness for the demands of tomorrow’s battlefield.
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2025 20:48 |
| Story ID: | 546153 |
| Location: | FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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