Photo By Staff Sgt. Kalina Hyche | A U.S. Army Soldier observes a rehearsal during Yudh Abhyas 2026 at Mahajan Field...... read more read more
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RAJASTHAN, India – U.S. and Indian Army medical personnel conducted bilateral casualty care and medical evacuation training during Yudh Abhyas 2026 at Mahajan Field Firing Range, Sept. 14, 2026, strengthening their ability to treat and move casualties in a combined operational environment.
“My goal for this exercise is to provide appropriate and timely care to any Soldiers if they get injured,” said U.S. Army Capt. Ciara Metzoian, battalion surgeon for 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Mobile Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. “We want to mitigate any hot-weather injuries and manage any trauma that occurs associated with artillery weapons.”
Medical personnel from both armies worked side by side to establish a field treatment area and rehearse casualty care and evacuation procedures ahead of upcoming training at the range.
“We typically do these prior to any main exercise so our evacuation plan for any casualties is effective, fast and safe for our Soldiers,” Metzoian said. “We’re always careful to do them as realistically as possible so we can find any errors or issues with communication.”
The rehearsal tested the medical teams’ ability to respond to multiple types of casualties, including heat-related illness and a severe lower-extremity injury. Medical personnel assessed, treated and prepared simulated patients for movement through appropriate levels of care.
During the more severe scenario, medical personnel responded to a simulated casualty with fractures to the tibia and fibula. U.S. and Indian Army personnel assessed and stabilized the casualty before moving the patient from the point of injury to a Role 2 medical facility for further evaluation and an X-ray, followed by transportation to a military hospital.
“The Indian Army’s experience with the desert was truly beneficial,” Metzoian said. “We got to see how the Indian Army actually stabilizes a leg, and it’s a lot different than what we use. We were able to exchange techniques used across both forces.”
Working through the treatment and evacuation process together allowed medical personnel from both armies to compare procedures and equipment, including approaches to intravenous access, splinting, triage and patient movement.
“Our medical knowledge is different,” Metzoian said. “We specialize in Arctic conditions and treatments, and here they’re the experts in hot-weather injuries. Our medics are learning a lot from it.”
The desert environment also provided Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division an opportunity to apply their medical skills outside the Arctic conditions in which they routinely train.
“I hope they’ll take away the need to be adaptable,” Metzoian said. “The desert versus the Arctic is 180 degrees from what they’re used to. My role is to train medics and help them learn so when something happens, they can manage the patient and move them up to a higher level of care”
Yudh Abhyas is an annual bilateral training exercise between the United States and India designed to improve interoperability and strengthen the ability of both armies to operate together across a range of military operations.
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| Date Taken: | 09.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2026 05:02 |
| Story ID: | 574694 |
| Location: | IN |
| Web Views: | 18 |
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