IHS partners with NATO to improve interoperability

The U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces AfricaInternational Health Specialist (USAFE IHS) team has partnered with the NATOCenter of Excellence for Military Medicine to improve interoperability withpartner nations and increase force readiness.

Since 2017, the two organizations have collaboratively produceda First Responder Train-the-Trainer (FRTT) program designed to navigatelanguage barriers between trainers and trainees. The FRTT course providesmedical personnel with the skills needed to train others at varying levels toadminister emergency medical care as first responders.

“Even with interpreters on hand, language barriers can stillprove to be challenging,” said Maj. Jason Mommaerts, International Health specialist.“This partnership and the FRTT program is not only effective, but alsosustainable and replicable to ensure interoperability between partner nations.”

In March of 2017, the NATO Center of Excellence received arequest from Romania for an FRTT course. Due to their lack of trained personnelwith the appropriate background to develop such a course, the USAFE IHS teamstepped in to help. Over the following six months, Mommaerts workedcollaboratively with the NATO Center of Excellence to design the course anddevelop curriculum.

“On day one, I taught the Romanian military medicalpersonnel the training methodology in English,” said Mommaerts. “By doing this,days two through five [of the course] could operate in Romanian, theparticipants’ native language.”

The NATO-delivered and funded course provided certificationto 25 Romanians, and the course received NATO accreditation.

The impact of this FRTT course continued beyond its initialdelivery. Mommaerts compiled lesson plans, test questions and trainingscenarios that the Romanians developed during the course. He also drafted astandard operating procedure outlining how to run the course, select students, scheduleclasses, develop coursework, and conduct remedial training. He provided theparticipants with this database of reference material so they could implementthe train-the-trainer program at their own training facilities.

Since the first course, Romania has reported using the FRTTcourse blueprint to certify 35-60 military medical personnel annually. Not onlydid Mommaerts teach a train-the-trainer course, but he also established asustainable train-the-trainer program.

Portugal has also expressed interest in replicating the FRTTconducted in Romania. This time, Mommaerts plans to take one of the Romanianshe trained with him so he can learn how to establish the FRTT program in othercountries.

“The FRTT program will not be dependent on one person andwill continue even after my special duty IHS assignment ends,” Mommaerts said.

This type of cooperation provides ample opportunity for theUSAFE IHS team to become familiar with partner nations and create tailoredroadmaps designed to help close capability gaps. The IHS team plans to assistNATO in developing standardized roadmaps modeled after its own that NATO canprovide to its member countries. Relationships such as these provide longlasting value to the U.S. military and enable it to maximize force readiness,regardless of shifting theater dynamics.

“Interoperability is a constant priority of IHS personnel asit enables U.S. forces to be fully capable with the fewest resources,” statedUSAFE-AFAFRICA IHS Team Lead, Lt. Col. Andrew Allen. “In other words, throughmilitary medical cooperation with partner nations, the U.S. military can domore with less and simultaneously maintain medical force readiness.”

Through collaborative projects such as the FRTT program, the USAFE IHS team is developing ways for NATO forces, including U.S. forces, to become more interoperable in the medical sphere.

Source: US Air Force