Subscribe
A U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army medical delegation conducted a three-day Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) during Exercise Cope West 25 with 15 Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU) medical personnel in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Sept. 9-11, 2025. The primary focus of the SMEE was to enhance the TNI-AU's medical trauma capacity through a combination of didactic presentations and hands-on skills stations. Representatives from Pacific Air Forces and the Hawaiʻi National Guard participated in the SMEE including Guardsmen Lt. Col. Timothy Hiura, Chief of Trauma and Treatment Operations; Maj Jason Habu, Search and Extraction Rescue Operations Officer in Charge; and Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hinkle, Critical Care Flight Paramedic.
“The SMEE provided a critical platform for the service members to partner directly with the TNI-AU medical professionals, sharing expertise that will significantly boost both nations’ military trauma and mass casualty capacity,” said Hiura.
The U.S. delegation provided a series of didactic presentations on critical trauma topics, including: mass casualty and mass triage flight line crash/trauma response airway and breathing management circulation and hemorrhage control traumatic brain injury spinal injuries patient packaging. The TNI-AU provided didactic presentations on F16 Hydrazine leak response and human factors in flight safety incidents.
“It was a great experience working with the Active Duty and learning how the TNI-AU’s medical forces approached situations differently from us,” Habu said. He was one of only three guardsmen at the SMEE.
Additionally, participants engaged in hands-on skills training at various stations, allowing for direct application of their didactic knowledge. These stations included: autologous blood transfusion, direct laryngoscopy intubation, needle chest decompression, chest tube placement, pelvic binder placement (commercial and field expedient), femoral fracture reduction via mechanical traction, CAT V tourniquet application for extremity hemorrhage, junctional tourniquet application (axilla and inguinal), use of combat gauze for non-compressible arterial bleeding management, surgical cricothyrotomy and patient packing.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with our partners,” said Hinkle. “This exchange proved how valuable the friendship between our nations is and enhanced both services knowledge and capabilities. I hope this relationship between the TNI-AU and the Hawaiʻi National Guard continues for years to come.”
The SMEE culminated in a mass casualty tabletop exercise, which provided a simulated environment for participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in a collaborative scenario-based setting. Having successfully increased the participants' knowledge base and practical skills, the SMEE fostered a strong professional relationship between the two nations' medical forces.
“It is always fascinating to compare SOPs and tactics to solve common problems, this exchange of information will make interoperability in the next fight that much better,” Hinkle concluded.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2025 20:10 |
| Story ID: | 549363 |
| Location: | PEKANBARU, ID |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, HING and TNI-AU conduct Medical Personnel SMEE at COPE West 25, by Rachel Blaire, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
