The past few months have been busy. MC4 supported five major exercises in five countries, not to mention the dozens of culminating training events in the U.S. and abroad. That’s good news because it demonstrates the commitment units have to “train as you fight” with MC4.
In January, MC4 staffed Yama Sakura, an annual exercise in Kumamoto, Japan. There, Army medical staff honed their outpatient medical recording skills using AHLTA-T and AHLTA-Mobile while unit level administrators got a crash course on setting up the system during scenario play. A few weeks later, MC4 supported the U.S. Pacific Command exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand. It also provided MC4 a prime opportunity to upgrade AFRIMS’ MC4 systems to EMR 2.1.2.1 and equip them with DCAM to begin ordering class VIII materials electronically.
In late February, the 8th Army learned about the potential MC4 systems have to convey medical command and control (C2) information during their training exercise in the Republic of Korea, Key Resolve 11. MC4 staff helped commanders tap into the power of MSAT. Data captured during the event helped identify gaps in established policies and procedures. Now commanders want to integrate the use of MC4 and MSAT into other exercises, like Ulchi Freedom Guardian, later this year.
In March, about 3,500 active duty, reservists and National Guard personnel participated in the annual disaster relief exercise Vibrant Response at Camp Atterbury, Ind., and two nearby locations. Flight medics with the 1-169th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) really shined. Using MC4 handhelds and the AHLTA-Mobile application, medics captured 175 patient notes in the field and at their aid station, which was more data than the two area support medical companies combined.
In April, we supported Balikatan, the biggest joint exercise between the two governments (Philippines and U.S.) since the resumption of joint military exercises in 1999 under the Visiting Forces Agreement. It was the first time MC4 took part in this exercise aimed at maintaining readiness and interoperability of the two countries’ troops in responding to natural disasters and other crises that threaten public health and safety.
There’s no doubt that these “train as you fight” events offer valuable experience for new and old MC4 users, building their proficiency on the system they’ll rely upon downrange.