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The vast expanse of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) area of responsibility presents unique challenges for medical care. When critically ill or injured personnel require advanced medical transport, the Pacific Air Forces Critical Care Air Transport Team (PACAF CCATT) stands at the ready. Based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, this specialized unit within the 15th Medical Group (MDG) represents a vital medical asset, providing intensive care in the air and bridging the gap between injury site and definitive treatment.
“PACAF CCATT is not just another aeromedical evacuation team,” according to Major Joseph Broekelmann, 15th CCATT Flight Commander. “It's an upgraded capability designed to deliver critical care services akin to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)—but airborne. Each deployable team is a finely tuned unit consisting of a critical care physician, critical care nurse, and respiratory care practitioner. The triad works in perfect sync, providing advanced monitoring, ventilation, and other life-saving interventions during patient transport.”
Maj. Broekelmann further stated that “the team’s dedication to excellence extends beyond deployments. To maintain their cutting-edge skills and ensure they remain clinically current, PACAF CCATT members are integrated at Tripler Army Medical Center. This unique partnership allows them to rotate through the Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Operating Room, Respiratory Care Department, and Emergency Department, actively contributing to day-to-day healthcare delivery for TRICARE beneficiaries, while honing their expertise.” According to the Air Force Medical Service, the CCAT mission falls under Air Mobility Command. CCATT members are experienced in the care of critically ill or injured patients with multisystem trauma, head injuries, shock, burns, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, and other life-threatening complications.
Some of the most common procedures and medications CCATT members administer in-flight include anti-blood clot medications, painkillers, and providing oxygen and ventilation.
The typical patient load for a standard CCATT is up to three critical patients, or up to six stabilized patients. The value of the CCATT was demonstrated last January, when a fireworks explosion on Oahu resulted in a mass casualty event with severely burned patients requiring advanced ventilatory support. PACAF CCATT, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Team, successfully executed the first transport of six intubated patients in over two decades, onboard a C-17 Globemaster III, to a specialized burn center.
Maj. Broekelmann stated, “this mission highlighted the strategic value of having a highly trained, rapidly deployable critical care capability in the Indo-Pacific theater.”
The PACAF CCATT ensures the best possible chance of survival and recovery for those in dire need. In addition to fielding PACAF’s CCATT, 15 MDG supports the U.S. Air Force’s 15th Wing and operates a medical and dental clinic as part of Defense Health Network Indo-Pacific, delivering patient-centered and cost-effective outpatient health care for three wings and 65 geographically separated units across Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2025 19:39 |
| Story ID: | 555034 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, PACAF Critical Care Air Transport Team: Lifeline in the Indo-Pacific, Vital Asset at Home, by 1st Lt. Caleb Bly, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
