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        TOPIC AREA: COMMAND, CONTROL, COMMUNICATION (C3)

        SUBMITTED BY: HQ AFRES/SGXO

         ISSUE: Automation support requirements for aeromedical
         evacuation needs to be determined and standardized.

         OBSERVATION: Sufficient and standardized automated support for
         aeromedical evacuation was not available to most deployed
         aeromedical evacuation management elements.

        DISCUSSION: The CONOPS forecast a potential workload into/out of
        RAF Upper Heyford of nearly 1,900 patients per day. There
        currently are automated patient management systems designed to
        manage and manifest patients. We were notified that HQ MAC
        anticipated testing these systems under wartime conditions at RAF
        Upper Heyford. We were informed by HQ MAC/SGAM that APES ,
        (Automated Patient Evacuation System), the peacetime aeromedical
        patient management system would be available upon arrival at RAF
        Upper Heyford. However, the APES was not made available to AECE
        personnel at any of the three sites in the United Kingdom. The
        APES automated system was designed to manage patients in the
        aeromedical evacuation and it could have assisted us in managing
        the projected workload of 1,900 patients per day at RAF Upper
        Heyford. Three separate computerized patient management systems
        (one at each site), in addition to the JMRO DMRIS, were used in
        the UK. Two were developed locally (RAF Upper Heyford and RAF
        Waddington) and the third (RAF Mildenhall) was directed to be
        used by HQ USAFE personnel. HQ MAC sent three persons TDY for
        several weeks to evaluate the Passenger Reservation Automated
        Manifest System (PRAMS). However, PRAMS was not in use at RAF
        Upper Heyford. These persons instead analyzed the automated
        software used to support aeromedical evacuation at RAF Upper
        Heyford, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Waddington. PRAMS was evaluated
        at RAF Mildenhall. We also are aware of an automated crew
        management system, CASS (Crew Management Scheduling System), used
        in MAC to track DNIF, flying hours, etc., for flight crews. We
        tried both prior and subsequent to deployment, without success,
        to obtain this automated system. We developed our own automated
        crew management system resulting in duplication of tried and
        tested software. We discovered an automated system used in the
        UK to publish MAC Form 41, Flight Authorization. We obtained and
        modified the program for our needs. Since CASS also publishes
        the MAC 41, we believe it would have been in the government's
        best interest to provide CASS to aeromedical evacuation units for
        evaluation, and to assist in crew management activities. The
        same is equally applicable for patient tracking and documentation
        systems currently in use. Since Air Force Reserve units desire
        and are expected to provide professional results when activated,
        it would be practical to actively take steps to provide all
        available management software to Reserve units for training and
        testing purposes.
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