Photo By Staff Sgt. John Foister | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Rogan Jones, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron...... read more read more
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KEFLAVIK AIR BASE, ICELAND -- U.S. Air Force medical personnel of the 86th Medical Squadron and 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from Ramstein Air Base\, Germany\, are taking part in exercise Northern Viking 26\, bringing 86th Medical Groupoperations to the biennial exercise for the first time in its history.
Exercises like NV26 allow U.S. forces, Icelandic Coast Guard and NATO Allies to honecritical medical response and security assurance capabilities, preparing for contingencies in the increasingly contested High North region. Rapid medical response is an integral part of NV26 because an increasingly accessible Arctic expands operational demands and the potential need for medical response, while extreme weather escalates the risk of humanitarian missions.
“Our job is to learn how to configure different aircraft and do our job in areas like the High North, because they have different injuries we could see here," said Senior Airman Rogan Jones, 86th AES Aeromedical Evacuation Technician.
The aeromedical evacuation team participating in NV26 is qualified on the USAF C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. Exercise planners are expanding flight operations to additional aircraft, enabling the aeromedical evacuation teams to build interoperability with new platforms and crews. This integration extends to the ability to operate in step with NATO Allies.
“Working with our NATO allies does pose challenges because of language barriers or operational kit differences,” explained Capt. Brianna Mueller, 86th MS critical care nurse. “Doing these exercises allow us to ask all of the questions that we can come up with in real time.”
ExercisessuchasNorthernViking arepartofalong-term, multinationaltrainingefforttomaintainreadinessandinteroperabilitybetweenNATO Allies in the NorthAtlanticand Arctic region.
“Previously, we have focused most of our exercises in AFRICOM [U.S. Africa Command] and other parts of EUCOM [U.S. European Command], so being in the High North is a great opportunity for us to practice High North operations that challenge us,” said Maj. Maria Christina Cruz-Fehr, 86th AES assistant director of operations and flight nurse.
USAF flight nurses and technicians are training alongside the Icelandic Suðurnes Rescue Team, USAF 38th Rescue Squadron Pararescuemen, and U.S. Navy Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System Team 9, gaining familiarization with the environmental challenges and adapting tactics to the Arctic. This enhances the security of the regionbydemonstrating the ability to adjust and continue operating anywhere.
“There are safety conditions that we need to mitigate such as ice, rain and wind, so being in Iceland is great for us because it gives us that environment that we don’t practice in our home station,” Cruz-Fehr said.
The force-sustaining of aeromedical capabilities show how integrated and forward-based U.S. operations with NATO Allies can project decisive and unified power across the region, ensuring critical medical care is ready anywhere its needed.
“Our job is important because not only are all of us taking care of patients and fellow members during the worst day of their life,we are also providing critical care to those that might not even remember it, ensuring that they survive and make it home to their families,” Mueller said.
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2026 13:32 |
| Story ID: | 573527 |
| Location: | KEFLAVIK, IS |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 86th MDG stretches aeromedical evacuation capabilities in the High North during Northern Viking 26, by 2nd Lt. Olivia Bertaud, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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