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File: 123096_sep96_decls2_0014.txt
Subject: MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM 9 NOV 91
Unit: VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization: BUMED
Box ID: BX303801
Folder Title: VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Document Number: 2
Folder Seq #: 10
CONCEPT OF OPERANONS
The medical concept of operations states the requirements and capabilities of
medical support in theater, with provisions for transporting patients to an appro-
priate treatment facility and ensuring that those facilities receive adequate equip-
ment, supplies, blood products, and personnel to meet their mission. The JMRO
coordinated the movement of patients in theater and out of theater (from echelon III
to echelon rV facilities) based on bed availability for the required care. The evacu-
ation policy, expressed as the nimber of days that a patient may be held in a
medical facility, governed the flow of casualties from the theater. USCINCCENT
initially set the theater evacuation policy at 7 days, increased it to 15 days in
November, and reduced it to 7 days in January when hostilities commenced. The
evacuation policy for patients sent from Europe to CONUS was initially set at
30 days, later revised to 60 clays until hostilities began, and then reduced to 15 days.
The @ policy for European facilities was to stabilize patients and send them to
facilities in CONUS. Casualties unable to return to full duty within the time stated
by the evacuation policy were to be evacuated by the first available mean.-. Each
component service was charged with deploying adequate echelon III hospital beds to
theater to sustain the seven-day evacuation policy throughout the operation.
The medical support system in theater involved a high level of interservice
coordination. CINCCENT designated the Army as the theater single-item manager
(SIM) for class Vlll(A) medical supplies. A USCENTCOM Joint Blood Progran2
rdinate blood program planning for the
component services. The Air Force managed the strategic and fixed-wing tactical
aeromedical evacuation system. Each service was required to provide Eft of oppor-
tunity to support patient movement from the battlefield rearward to echelon II and
echelon III facilities. Twelve Army Blackhawk UH-60 air ambulances, however,
were assigned to support the movement of patients to and from the hospital shipq
ashore and, as a secondary mission, to support theater medical assets in the
movement of patien-s and medical supplies. Air Force assets supported the
movement of patients between designated evacuation sites for echelon III facilities
and from the theater to Europe and to CONUS.
The CODMSNAVCENT concept of operations placed the fleet hospitals and
hospital ships under the operational control of COMUSNAVLOGSLTPFOIL This
concept of operations called for one of the hospital ships to he located forward,
within helicopter range to receive casualties. The second hospital ship would move
forward to relieve the farst when conditions dictated, allowing the first ship to move
rearward to evacuate patients as appropriate.
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Document 57 f:/Week-37/BX303801/VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6/medical operations during operation desert storm:1217961126393
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-37
Box ID = BX303801
Unit = VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization = BUMED
Folder Title = VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Folder Seq # = 10
Subject = MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM
Document Seq # = 2
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 17-DEC-1996