Mozambique: U.S. Air Forces Conduct Medical Deployment Exercise

20 July 2001
US European Command (Stuttgart, Germany)

Stuttgart, Germany — Service members from U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR), and U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) will participate in MEDFLAG 01-2 from 23 Jul - 3 Aug 2001.

This year's MEDFLAG is led by Headquarters, USAFE and will be held in Nampula and Maputo, Mozambique. MEDFLAG is a joint (multi service)-combined (multiple country) medical training and civic assistance exercise conducted annually by the U.S. European command. This exercises provides mobility training and operational experience for U.S. medical units.

Collateral benefits include interchange of medical information and techniques with host nation medical personnel, and enhanced telemedicine. Finally, the MEDFLAG team will provide limited medical humanitarian civic assistance to the host nation of Mozambique. Participating units are as follows:

USAFE: Members of 3rd Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, England, with the 48th Medical Group, Lakenheath AB, England, as the lead medical unit.

USAREUR: Members of the 94th Engineer Battalion (Heavy), based at Grafenwöhr, Germany.

USSOCOM: Members of the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Medical humanitarian and civic assistance visits will be conducted in six health clinics within a 50-kilometer radius of Nampula, Mozambique. The U.S. team will also provide training in self-aid and buddy care, trauma life support, crisis response, and universal precautions measures.

A mass casualty exercise will be held in Nampula City, and involve a train-wreck scenario.

As part of MEDFLAG 01-2, soldiers of the 94th Engineer Battalion will deploy to Nampula to conduct vital infrastructure improvements at three health care facilities in the surrounding area. Furthermore, staff from HQ 3rd AF will deploy to Maputo, Mozambique, to establish a headquarters combined joint-task force (CJTF) in support of exercise operations.

Integral to CJTF operations will be the establishment of a civil military operations center, staffed by host nation personnel and members of HQ 3rd AF, as well as 96th Civil Affairs Battalion soldiers.

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