Secret Forces

Page 1


ficha técnica Autor Beatriz Almeida Editor Beatriz Almeida Paginaçao e design grafico Beatriz Almeida Proprietário Beatriz Almeida Data da publicação Março 2021 Periocidade Mensal Fotografias Google imagens


artigo editorial

e

sta edição tem como propósito principal enaltecer o papel e importância das Forças Especiais. Hodiernamente, estes agentes são subvalorizados, sendo que não lhes é devidamente reconhecido o seu mérito, nem o seu papel de destaque em vários níveis de atuação da sociedade. Efetivamente, nesta edição são contempladas 4 secções diferentes relativas às áreas de intervenção destes militares, nomeadamente: Operações Terrestres; Operações Navais; Operações Aeroespaciais; bem como Medicina Militar. Assim sendo, na parte referente às Operações Terrestres, Navais e Aeroespaciais, visou-se a escolha de temáticas diferenciadoras e inovadoras, desconhecidas da maioria da população. Por outro lado, ao nível da Medicina Militar, teve-se como intento salientar as significativas contribuições no avanço da medicina em diferentes patologias e faixas etárias. Na verdade, apesar destes agentes desempenharem uma função exímia ao nível da segurança e manutenção da ordem a nível nacional e internacional, tarefa esta, indubitavelmente, imperativa e essencial a todos nós, acabamos por menosprezar as várias vicissitudes que estes têm de ultrapassar para o exercício desta nobre missão. Salientam-se os condicionantes físicos que todas as operações obrigam, como também os psicológicos, dado o afastamento da família. Este último ponto é crucial, já que estes são os que salvaguardam a possibilidade de vivermos harmoniosamente juntos dos nossos entes queridos, ao passo que, para tal, estes, por sua vez, têm de se separar dos seus familiares. Apesar de este tipo de profissão estar mais associada, historicamente, ao género masculino, tem, cada vez mais, sido contrariada essa realidade. Assim, ALMEIDA, Beatriz. Artigo Editorial

muitas mulheres também escolhem, vocacionalmente, este campo laboral, sendo que, inclusive se associam grandes feitos às mesmas. Numa sociedade em que a luta pela igualdade de género é um dos motes principais dos manifestantes, é importante destacar que está estereotipada a ideia de diferentes profissões associadas a diferentes géneros, sendo, felizmente, uma realidade cada vez mais longínqua. Não obstante a Portugal ser um país com forças militares terrestres, navais e aéreas e não desconsiderando o inigualável trabalho que os nossos agentes especiais prestam ao nível da segurança nacional, bem como da participação de missões internacionais, a escolha das notícias não se circunscreveu à realidade portuguesa. Com efeito, tal facto prende-se com a intenção de apelar aos governantes do nosso país, no sentido de estes atribuírem mais importância às forças militares, para que o contributo das mesmas seja maior e com um campo de atuação mais amplo. De facto, Portugal poderá ser um país com mais destaque e maior desenvolvimento, se este setor for uma prioridade de investimento incluída nos orçamentos de estado. Além do mais, será, igualmente, imperativa a inclusão de novos agentes militares, incitando-se aos jovens portugueses que enveredem por uma carreira militar, a fim de ser possível haver continuidade destas forças, que tão nucleares são. Sintetizando, apesar do inestimável valor das forças militares, estas são menosprezadas, só sendo valorizadas devidamente em épocas de catástrofe e de crise, o que é extremamente redutor, já que o papel destes agentes não é meramente de intervenção, mas também de prevenção e de manutenção. Sendo que estes dois últimos são ainda mais essenciais do que o primeiro, devendo atribuir-se importância aos objetivos alcançados e não à visibilidade dos mesmos.


índice Aerospace Thousands Apply to Join NASA’s Artemis Generation #BeAnAstronaut ...................................................6 Training Artificial Intelligence to Win a Dogfight ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Land forces National K9 Veterans Day: honoring our four-legged warriors ..................................................................................10 Combat Vehicle Coating to Increase Soldier Survivability ..................................................................................................12 Naval forces First Female Marine to Become F-35B Pilot ...................................................................................................................................................14 Naval Aviation Hits Target for Readiness, Shifts Sights to Sustainment ......................................................16 Military medicine Simulators Bring Realism to Air Force Medical Training ..........................................................................................................18 Force Health Protection ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................20

Imagem 01- Pág 4 e 5 , Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/21/2002555754/3640/3640/0/201217-A-AD014-015.JPG Acesso em: 6 de março 2021



Thousands Apply to Join NASA’s Artemis Generation #BeAnAstronaut

m

ore than 12,000 people have applied to join NASA’s next class of astronauts, demonstrating strong national interest to take part in America’s plans to explore the Moon and take humanity’s next giant leap – human missions to Mars. Applications were received from every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories. However, the process is just beginning for NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board, which will assess the applicants’ qualifications and invite the most qualified candidates to the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for interviews and medical tests before making a final selection. NASA expects to introduce the new astronaut candidates in the summer of 2021. “We’ve entered a bold new era of space exploration with the Artemis program, and we are thrilled to see so many incredible Americans apply to join us,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “The next class of Artemis Generation astronauts will help us explore more of the Moon than ever before and lead us to the Red Planet.” The application for the newest class of astronauts opened March 2 and closed March 31. The number of people who applied to be an astronaut represents the second-highest number of applications NASA has ever received, surpassed only by the record of 18,300 set by the most recent class of astronauts who graduated in January. For this round of applications, NASA increased the education requirement for applicants from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree in a science, technology, math, or engineering field. In addition, the application period was shortened from two months to one. “We’re able to build such a strong astronaut

corps at NASA because we have such a strong pool of applicants to choose from,” said Anne Roemer, manager of the Astronaut Selection Board and director of human resources at Johnson. “It’s always amazing to see the diversity of education, experience and skills that are represented in our applicants. We are excited to start reviewing astronaut applications to identify the next class of astronaut candidates.” Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 350 people to train as astronaut candidates for its increasingly challenging missions to explore space. With 48 astronauts in the active astronaut corps, more will be needed to serve as crew aboard spacecraft bound for multiple destinations and propel exploration forward as part of Artemis missions and beyond. Once selected, the astronaut candidates will go through approximately two years of initial skills training, such as spacewalking, robotics, and spacecraft systems, as well as expeditionary behavior skills, such as leadership, followership, and teamwork. After completing training, the new astronauts could launch on American rockets and spacecraft — developed for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program —to live and work aboard the International Space Station, 250 miles above Earth. There they will take part in experiments that benefit life at home and prepare us for the Moon and Mars. This new class also may launch aboard NASA’s powerful new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis missions to the Moon. Beginning in 2024, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface and will establish sustainable lunar exploration by 2028. Gaining insights from new experiences on and around the Moon will prepare NASA to send the first humans to Mars in the 2030s.

NASA News Realise. Thousands Apply to Join NASA’s Artemis Generation, #BeAnAstronaut. Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/thousands-apply-join-nasas-artemis-generation-beanastronaut/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 02- Pág 7, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Iss009e29620.jpg Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

6



Training Artificial Intelligence to Win a Dogfight

A

rtificial intelligence has defeated chess grandmasters, Go champions, professional poker players, and, now, world-class human experts in the online strategy games Dota 2 and StarCraft II. No AI currently exists, however, that can outduel a human strapped into a fighter jet in a high-speed, high-G dogfight. As modern warfare evolves to incorporate more human-machine teaming, DARPA seeks to automate airto-air combat, enabling reaction times at machine speeds and freeing pilots to concentrate on the larger air battle. Turning aerial dogfighting over to AI is less about dogfighting, which should be rare in the future, and more about giving pilots the confidence that AI and automation can handle a high-end fight. As soon as new human fighter pilots learn to takeoff, navigate, and land, they are taught aerial combat maneuvers. Contrary to popular belief, new fighter pilots learn to dogfight because it represents a crucible where pilot performance and trust can be refined. To accelerate the transformation of pilots from aircraft operators to mission battle commanders — who can entrust dynamic air combat tasks to unmanned, semi-autonomous airborne assets from the cockpit — the AI must first prove it can handle the basics. To pursue this vision, DARPA created the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. ACE aims to increase warfighter trust in autonomous combat technology by using human-machine collaborative dogfighting as its initial challenge scenario. DARPA will hold a Proposers Day for interested researchers on May 17, 2019, in Arlington, Virginia. “Being able to trust autonomy is critical as we move toward a future of warfare

involving manned platforms fighting alongside unmanned systems,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Javorsek (Ph.D.), ACE program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office (STO). “We envision a future in which AI handles the split-second maneuvering during within-visual-range dogfights, keeping pilots safer and more effective as they orchestrate large numbers of unmanned systems into a web of overwhelming combat effects.” ACE is one of several STO programs designed to enable DARPA’s “mosaic warfare” vision. Mosaic warfare shifts warfighting concepts away from a primary emphasis on highly capable manned systems — with their high costs and lengthy development timelines — to a mix of manned and less-expensive unmanned systems that can be rapidly developed, fielded, and upgraded with the latest technology to address changing threats. Linking together manned aircraft with significantly cheaper unmanned systems creates a “mosaic” where the individual “pieces” can easily be recomposed to create different effects or quickly replaced if destroyed, resulting in a more resilient warfighting capability. The ACE program will train AI in the rules of aerial dogfighting similar to how new fighter pilots are taught, starting with basic fighter maneuvers in simple, one-onone scenarios. While highly nonlinear in behavior, dogfights have a clearly defined objective, measureable outcome, and the inherent physical limitations of aircraft dynamics, making them a good test case for advanced tactical automation. Like human pilot combat training, the AI performance expansion will be closely monitored by fighter instructor pilots in the autonomous aircraft, which will help co-evolve tactics with the technology.

DARPA Press Release. Training Artificial Intelligence to Win a Dogfight Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/training-ai-to-win-a-dogfight/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 03- Pág 8e 9, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTA1S1seKsEbAujyiKFgnD-ZA4FyWomKga3TQ&usqp=CAU Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

8


These subject matter experts will play a key role throughout the program. “Only after human pilots are confident that the AI algorithms are trustworthy in handling bounded, transparent and predictable behaviors will the aerial engagement scenarios increase in difficulty and realism,” Javorsek said. “Following virtual testing, we plan to demonstrate the dogfighting algorithms on sub-scale aircraft leading ultimately to live, full-scale mannedunmanned team dogfighting with operationally representative aircraft.” DARPA seeks a broad spectrum of potential proposers for each area of study, including small companies and academics with little previous experience with the Defense Department. To that end, before Phase 1 of the program begins, DARPA will sponsor a standalone, limited-scope effort focused on the first technical area: automating individual tactical behavior for one-onone dogfights. Called the “AlphaDogfight Trials,” this initial solicitation will be issued by AFWERX, an Air Force innovation catalyst with the mission of finding novel solutions to Air Force challenges at startup speed. The AFWERX trials will pit AI dogfighting algorithms against each other in a tournament-style competition. “Through the AFWERX trials, we intend to tap the top algorithm developers in the air combat simulation and gaming communities,” Javorsek said. “We want them to help lay the foundational AI elements for dogfights, on which we can build as the program progresses.” AFWERX will announce the trials in the near future on its website: h t t p s : // w w w . a f w e r x . a f . m i l /. For ACE Proposers Day registration details, please visit: h t t p s : //g o . u s a . g o v/ x m n M n

9


National K9 Veterans Day: honoring our four-legged warriors

m

arching along the perimeter of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, members of the U.S. Air Force 633rd Security Forces Squadron, U.S. Army 3rd Military Working Dog Detachment and their military working dogs honored the most selfless service members with an extended eight-mile walk for National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, 2020. Established as the U.S. Army’s War Dog Program in 1942, K-9 warriors have remained a critical asset providing multi-faceted capabilities to mission success within the armed forces. According to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Carmen Pontello, 633rd SFS MWD handler, celebrating National K9 Veterans Day with his K-9 counterpart just makes sense. “We have retirements for them, have medals for them and they serve along with us for most of their lives,” Pontello said.

It’s important that we honor them and give them the attention they deserve. Just like we have our Veterans Day, they deserve one, too.

This year’s celebration means a little bit more to Pontello. Last April, his MWD, Max, retired and shortly after passed away in November 2019. He added he will be carrying Max’s ashes with him throughout the event. “Max and I spent a lot of time together, deployed together and when I brought him home, he became an instant best friend to my daughter,” Pontello said. “On this day, we get to recognize him and all our other fallen MWDs.”

Along with Max, the memorial will honor Bodza, a recently retired MWD, who also crossed the “rainbow bridge.” Pontello noted the day would also be a way to highlight MWDs, such as MMarc and RRoddie, and their handlers who are still enjoying retirement together. For dogs like MMarc and RRoddie, their names tell it all. MWDs with double-lettered names have been bred and trained out of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, signifying their longstanding connection to their trade. To celebrate the day, the 633rd SFS invited the U.S. Army to partake in the ruck march and memorial at the kennels afterwards. “I’m definitely honored to be with these working dogs today,” U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Paul Bourgeois, 3rd MWD Detachment military working dog handler. “As a young handler, you hear stories about the deployments they were on before I was even in the military, so it’s humbling that these guys do so much and we only sometimes hear about it. A whole day is need to honor these animals who risk their lives every day to keep service members out of harm’s way.” Bourgeois, who is RRoddie’s owner, feels thankful to be celebrating their first National K-9 Veterans Day together after RRoddie’s retirement in October 2019. “The day is for him,” Bourgeois said. “I’m happy to have him finally to celebrate the day together.” Although a ruck march may not appear to be a usual way to commemorate the day, keeping conditioned and mission capable is ultimately the K-9s’ and handlers’ first priority. For the oldest dog in the kennel at 10-years-old, Oopey, the special occasion gives her a chance to start celebrating retirement early with her former handler, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Bobadilla. “Woof woof woof,” Oopey said, which easily translates to, “where’s my cake?”

US DEFENSE STORY. National K9 Veterans Day: honoring our four-legged warriors Disponivel em: https://usdefensestory.com/national-k9-veterans-day-honoring-our-four-legged-warriors/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 04- Pág 11, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://media.defense.gov/2018/May/18/2001918838/670/394/0/180515-Z-QY689-0045.JPG Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

10



Combat Vehicle Coating Soldier Survivability

Increase

Manufacturing Technology program to reduce detectable infrared signatures that are emitted from vehicles, making them much more difficult to detect and track. This new coating also mitigates the effects of chemical agents that adversaries may use to injure, incapacitate or kill Soldiers. “This technology is significant because it embraces the spirit and direction of the Army Futures Command to develop, create and implement technologies that ensure dominance on the battlefield. The technology will be the foundation of a variety of alternatives that will meet and overcome emerging threats to Army platforms,” said Thomas Wagner, CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center engineer.

In addition to reducing the cost of the coating per gallon by approximately 75 percent from when the program originally started, the coating can be applied to vehicles in existing facilities, including depots and arsenals, using equipment already in the Army’s inventory.

The Army’s Manufacturing Technology program, known as ManTech, provided the necessary funding to work with industry to develop, refine, test and validate a process for manufacturing Chemical Agent Resistant Coatingcompatible paint products that aid in vehicle detectability avoidance. In addition to reducing the cost of the coating per gallon by approximately 75 percent from when the program originally started, the coating can be applied to vehicles in existing facilities, including depots and arsenals, using equipment already in the Army’s inventory. This will decrease application costs and increase production output. “Working with industry allowed for quicker implementation of

manufacturing techniques, which enabled the product to be produced on a larger scale. Concurrent Technologies Corporation’s long history of taking engineered products and optimizing designs and processes to reduce per unit prices will allow the Army to gain an advantage that it otherwise may not have,” Wagner said. By working with the Army, CTC was able to tailor the GVCS to each system’s requirements, allowing for future capabilities as threats change. The new coating does not require additional space, weight or power requirements, which is especially important as the Army focuses on next-generation vehicles that are not only more lethal and survivable than current platforms, but also

U.S. Army Press Release. Combat Vehicle Coating to Increase Soldier Survivability Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/combat-vehicle-coating-increase-soldier-survivability/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 05- Pág 13, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fb/5b/2e/fb5b2e269de812a4cd2335c2960d5f4b.png Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

12

w

hile Soldiers wear camouflage to blend into the environment, it is also important to ensure ground vehicles are not easily detected. The Army now has a new advanced coating system for ground vehicles that suppresses ground vehicle heat signatures, making the vehicles much more difficult to detect. The Ground Vehicle Coating System was developed by a joint venture between the Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center, the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory and the Army’s

to


smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient. While CCDC ARL managed formulating, testing, verification and validation of the technology, ongoing efforts will be coordinated with the CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center to manage requirements, specifications and updates for the technology to enhance its properties for emerging threats and future needs. In 2018, the team worked with the U.S. Special Operations Command to develop gray color variants for small watercraft, which resulted in significant cost avoidance for SOCOM. The coating system has joint service appeal since it can be formulated in multiple color variants. The GVCS program has transitioned to Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, which plans to implement the GVCS across its portfolio, including the Bradley fighting vehicle, Abrams main battle tank and the Stryker family of vehicles. First Unit Equipped is scheduled for Second Quarter FY21. The CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center, CCDC ARL and the ManTech

Program Management Office work closely with Army leadership to identify projects that support the Army’s greater science and technology strategy. CCDC was formerly known as the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. In a recent realignment, CCDC moved from the Army Materiel Command to the Army Futures Command. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), formerly known as the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), has the mission to lead in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our Nation’s wars and come home safely. The command collaborates across the Future Force Modernization Enterprise and its own global network of domestic and international partners in academia, industry and other government agencies to accomplish this mission. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

13


First Female Marine to Become F-35B Pilot

During her four years of training, Satz earned over 300 flight hours, spent a significant amount of time practicing in simulators while also studying for written and practical application exams; and although training and learning never stops, she will now be assigned to her first operational unit, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the Green Knights in Iwakuni, Japan. “I’m very grateful for the instructors, the maintainers, and countless others at 501 who lent me their expertise and time while I was going through the syllabus,” Satz said.

This is a phenomenal program made possible by all of their hard work.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from all of them. I am incredibly excited to get to VMFA121 and look forward to the opportunity to serve in the Fleet Marine Forces.”

I truly believe that showing up prepared and working diligently are two major keys to success.

After arriving to MCAS Beaufort in July of 2018, she took her first flight in the F-35B in October that year. “The first flight in an F-35 is by yourself,” she said. “The syllabus thoroughly prepares you for that first time you take off and for every flight after that, it’s an exhilarating experience.”

U.S. Marine Corps News Release. First Female Marine to Become F-35B Pilot Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/first-female-marine-become-f-35b-pilot/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 06 e 07 - Pág 14 e 15 , Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/ed/35/67ed35a59d101d6576ba602827858845.jpg https://cdn.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1908/5653504/1000w-q95.jpg Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

14

u

.S. Marine Capt. Anneliese Satz left her legacy on the Marine Corps’ F-35B Program when she became the first female Marine to complete the F-35B Basic Course, June 27. Flying is nothing new to Satz—prior to joining the Marine Corps she earned her commercial pilots license flying a Robinson R44 Helicopter which she attributes to preparing her for a career in military aviation. Over the last four years, Satz, 29, has completed Aviation Pre-flight Indoctrination in Pensacola, Florida, Primary Flight Training in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she learned to fly the T-6 Texan II, then to Meridian, Mississippi, where she flew the T-45C Goshawk advanced jet training aircraft. Upon completing her initial training, she was assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, the “Warlords,” to train on her assigned fleet aircraft: the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. It’s designed to operate from austere, shortfield bases and a range of air-capable ships operating near front-line combat zones. “At each of my training schools I did my best,” said Satz, a Boise, Idaho native.



Naval Aviation Hits Target for Readiness, Shifts Sights to Sustainment

c

ommander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) announced Sept. 24 that Naval Aviation has achieved its Secretary of Defensemandated readiness target of an 80 percent mission-capable (MC) rate for both its operational F/A-18 E/F “Super Hornet” and EA-18G “Growler” fleets. After a year of reforms across Navy squadrons, maintenance and supply depots and other key readiness-enabling commands, Super Hornet and Growler readiness each stand above 80 percent of Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory (PMAI), at 343 and 95 aircraft, respectively. Last year, with the Navy’s MC rate hovering near 50 percent, then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis directed the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to reach an 80 percent MC rate across their fighter and strike fighter aircraft squadrons. To achieve this goal, the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) implemented the Naval Sustainment System-Aviation (NSS-A). The NSS-A initiative leverages best practices from commercial industry to update and improve aspects of Naval Aviation’s maintenance practices in squadrons as well as at intermediate and depot Fleet Readiness Centers. Additional reform efforts greatly improved supply chain management, engineering practices, governance activities and safety. Initially, NSS-A focused on getting the Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet healthy, but quickly grew to include the Navy’s EA-18G Growler fleet due to the similarities in the two platforms. Ultimately, the Navy and Marine Corps will apply NSS-A reforms to recover and sustain readiness and improve safety for each type, model and series of aircraft. According to Vice Adm. DeWolfe H. Miller III, the Navy’s “Air Boss” (CNAF),

after a decade of regularly maintaining between 250-260 MC F/A-18s, the Navy is now sustaining over 320 MC Super Hornets and surged to attain service goals of 341 MC Super Hornet and 93 MC Growler aircraft this month. “This has been a year of results for Naval Aviation. I am incredibly proud of our Sailors, civilian teammates and industry partners. They developed and implemented the NSS and then drove readiness numbers that haven’t been seen in over a decade. Their results are incredible and their passion for improvement is inspirational.” said Miller. “The tremendous efforts of our Fleet Readiness Centers were vital to achieving our readiness goals,” said Vice Adm. Dean Peters, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command. “I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of the Sailors and artisans that keep us mission focused.” Rear Adm. Roy Kelley, Commander, Naval Air Forces, Atlantic (CNAL), pointed to the leading indicator of aviation readiness moving in the right direction: aviator flight hours. “This is the first year in some time that we have executed our allocation of flight hours completely,” said Kelley. “That stands as a sign of health that we have a lot of ‘up’ aircraft, and that the parts are moving. We’re getting healthy and we’re on the right track.” The Air Boss agreed, adding that achievement of the 80 percent goal was an important milestone, but not a completed mission. “To be clear, there is no finish line to the NSS effort,” he said. “We don’t get to choose when we are called to fight. Sustainment is the key. Continuously improving the reforms implemented by our military, civilian and industry teams will be critical in maintaining our advantage in this age of great power competition.”

U.S. Navy News Release. Naval Aviation Hits Target for Readiness, Shifts Sights to Sustainment Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/naval-aviation-hits-target-for-readiness-shifts-sights-to-readiness-sustainment/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 08- Pág 16 e 17, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil/files/2020/11/170724-N-UZ648-211-banner.jpg Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

16


17


Simulators Bring Realism to Air Force Medical Training

This allows us to do things that we couldn’t really do with humans.

couldn’t otherwise do, so that’s a significant advantage when you’re talking about prepping people for combat situations.” Based on the training, the simulators can be programmed to have specific vital signs. Jernigan can set the heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, etc. According to the numbers set, the students will do what they need to in order to stabilize the patient. “They’re used to help bring realism to training,” Jernigan said.

From my understanding, they used to have animal testing or people testing on each other. This provides a body that you can use and get a reaction from in a less stressful environment. One thing about a simulator – you can’t kill it.

a

patient lays on the ground, bleeding, breathing weaker, and heart rate dropping low. It’s up to medical personnel to stabilize him before it’s too late. And cut! The simulation is over and a briefing is given on what went right and wrong. Luckily, the patient wasn’t human but a simulator “dummy” used to prepare the 633rd Medical Group Airmen on real-world scenarios. “They blink, they breathe,” said Raymond Jernigan, 633rd MDG simulator operator. “Even the baby simulators have motion. They cry. I can program it to talk. They can be programmed to have physiological responses – I’ll set the vital signs.” The training with simulators usually begins with a pre-brief from Jernigan, going over how to use the simulators and what they can do. A lot of the simulators can be used as part of the certification training, such as the Laerdal SimNewB. These are the neonatal baby simulators that prepare the labor and delivery section on the neonatal resuscitation program. They can simulate breathing and be given vitals based on the specified training for which they are used. The 633rd MDG education and training office also uses the simulators regularly for training.

The simulator can be used for a wide range of scenarios. It can be something as simple as treating a bee sting to a mock code blue, meaning the patient is having cardiac issues. With the training on the simulators, Airmen can better prepare themselves for real-world scenarios involving trauma, illness or administering life-saving skills.

said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Broadbent, 633rd MDG education and training noncommissioned officer in charge. “These really allow us to simulate injuries that we

U.S. Air Force Press Release. Simulators Bring Realism to Air Force Medical Training Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/simulators-bring-realism-to-air-force-medical-training/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 09- Pág 18, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/USAF-Medical-simulation-training-2019.jpeg Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

18



Force Health Protection Battlefield medicine evolves beyond the battlefield.

i

n 2000, the Department of when he instituted a system of inoculating Defense (DOD) released its soldiers against the smallpox virus. Since grand strategy for the 21st World War II, the Navy Medical Department century, which it called “Joint has provided a similar description of its Vision 2020.” The document wartime mission: “To keep as many men at famously called for the U.S. military to as many guns as many days as possible.” achieve “full spectrum dominance” over To understand what’s new about all land, sea, air, space, electromagnetic, the phrase “force health protection,” and information systems, with enough it helps to realize it isn’t meant to overwhelming power to fight and win describe a new idea: It describes a global wars against any adversary. Dale new way of thinking about an old idea. Smith, Ph.D., a professor of military medicine TOWARD A NEW MILITARY MEDICAL and history at the Uniformed Services STRATEGY University of the Health Sciences (USU), The evolution of force health protection as a points to two trends that began during and strategy – which is by no means complete after the Vietnam today – has been War: First, the idea gradual enough of “fighting strength” that it’s difficult to began to extend point to a single “then at all the new beyond the notion cause. Dale Smith, recruit stations … of physical combat. Ph.D., a professor people are going to The new strategy of military medicine begin to learn some contained a and history at the level of tactical medical annex that Uniformed Services combat casualty care. became known University of the as “Force Health Health Sciences That will be a new Protection,” which (USU), points to two evolution in force by itself doesn’t trends that began health protection.” sound very radical: during and after the In order to achieve Vietnam War: First, full-spectrum the idea of “fighting d o m i n a n c e , strength” began obviously, the military needs people who to extend beyond the notion of physical are healthy enough to dominate, and who combat. Army Maj. Frederick M. Franks, stay healthy enough to keep dominating. suffering a grievous wound to his left leg It’s a phrase that echoes the motto on the during heavy fighting in Cambodia in 1970, scroll of the Army Medical Department eventually had the leg amputated below regimental flag: “To Conserve Fighting the knee. At the time, it was customary for Strength.” Gen. George Washington was military medicine to focus on conventional perhaps the first American commander to combat medicine and casualty care, and actively conserve fighting strength, when amputees were almost automatically he quarantined his Continental Army considered veterans – their military soldiers to protect them from a rampant service had effectively come to an end. smallpox epidemic at the outset of the Caring for them, then, was no longer a Revolutionary War – and later, in 1777, component of military medicine. “It’s not COLLINS, Craig. Force Health Protection Disponivel em: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/force-health-protection/ Acesso em : 20 de fevereiro 2021 Imagem 10- Pág 22 e 23, Fonte: Google imagens Disponível em: https://geographicalimaginations.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/medevac-exercise-afghanistan.jpg Acesso em: 6 de março 2021

20


a military problem anymore,” Smith said, “if you’re not going to come back to duty.” But Franks fought to remain in a combat unit after losing his leg, arguing that he could still command, even if he couldn’t fight. The Army agreed, and other officers followed Franks’ lead. Smith said: “It wasn’t until Vietnam that officers like Franks really said: ‘Wait a minute here. I’m a divisionlevel field-grade officer. It’s not likely that I’m going to engage in hand-to-hand combat. But I can lead my battalion and serve on a staff with a fake limb.’” Franks served for another two decades with distinction, and during his career he earned several valor awards, including the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and two Purple Hearts. In the Gulf War of 1990-1991, he commanded the coalition forces’ VII Corps, which decimated Iraqi forces, including a number of Iraqi Republican Guard units. He retired in 1994 at the rank of general. As ideas about “fitness for duty” began to shift, so too did traditional ideas about medical readiness planning. After the military draft was abolished in 1973, Smith said, the all-volunteer force began to emphasize professionalism among its service members. Over the next two decades, the U.S. military became increasingly composed of career service members, many with families and many who would grow old in service to their country. As ideas about “fitness for duty” began to shift, so too did traditional ideas about medical readiness planning. At the same time, the mission of military medicine began to expand in the 21st century. The 9/11 terrorists were able to plan and coordinate their attack relatively undisturbed in Afghanistan, one of the many failed states to emerge after the collapse of the bipolar world order. It became clear to U.S. military leaders that the doctrine of “full-spectrum dominance” must necessarily include operations that would help to stabilize such states before their weaknesses posed a threat to national security. U.S. military personnel have often deployed to provide stability and support operations (SASO), mostly for humanitarian reasons, but the clear security threats

posed by failed states have made SASO not only a moral but a strategic imperative for the DOD. The Military Health System adopted SASO as a stated mission in 2002, and the National Defense Strategy has since elevated SASO to be a mission on par with the military’s traditional combat missions, offense and defense. It’s a historic change in how the U.S. military sees itself: Its mission is not only to win battles, but to create space for negotiation by providing a controlled, nonviolent environment and by providing aid to civilians. DOD participation in the global response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a noteworthy example of such an operation: In addition to the command-control and logistical support provided by soldiers, sailors, and Marines, Operation United Assistance featured crucial assistance from the military’s – and the world’s – leading infectious disease experts. Researchers and physicians from the Army, Navy, and Air Force diagnosed cases, prevented the spread of the virus, and researched and field-tested Ebola treatments and vaccines. Such deployments, obviously, elevate certain health risks for service members. “You’re much more likely to be exposed to disease if you go in to fight Ebola,” Smith said, “than if you go in to fight insurgents.” Studies revealed much higher rates of chronic multi-symptom illness among Gulf War veterans than among the general population: About 250,000 of the 700,000 U.S. personnel deployed to the region suffered from persistent, unexplained symptoms including fatigue, muscle and joint pain, rashes, and cognitive problems. The strategic evolution toward force health protection – in particular, a stronger emphasis on health surveillance – gained considerable momentum after the Gulf War, where medical personnel from all branches performed well, both in theater and in European hospitals to which some wounded were evacuated. But what happened after the war caught the military medical community off guard: A significant number of both veterans and civilian workers returning from the Persian Gulf experienced a chronic multi-symptom disorder that became known as Gulf War

21


Syndrome. Studies revealed much higher rates of chronic multi-symptom illness among Gulf War veterans than among the general population: About 250,000 of the 700,000 U.S. personnel deployed to the region suffered from persistent, unexplained symptoms including fatigue, muscle and joint pain, rashes, and cognitive problems. Investigations by the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) into the nature and causes of these illnesses were severely hindered by a lack of health and deployment data. It wasn’t until six years after the war’s end, in the National Defense Authorization Act of 1998, that Congress directed the DOD to establish a system for assessing the medical condition of service members before and after deployment. A longitudinal health record (LHR) was implemented to provide and track data before, during, and after deployment. The object in forming this “cradle-to-grave” data set was to enable military medical professionals both to foresee and prevent any service-related health issues, and to connect emerging issues with existing information regarding deployment and exposures. The Pentagon established a deployment health quality assurance program in 2004, launching the development of readiness standards and metrics, as well as a jointservice automated theater-wide health data surveillance and reporting system. The DOD directive issued in 2004 described force health protection measures as “encompassing the full spectrum of missions, responsibilities, and actions of the DOD Components in establishing, sustaining, restoring, and improving the health of their forces.” Around the time this program was established, the DOD released its revised force health protection vision document, which described how the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing global war on terrorism had further transformed American military service. Military deployments, the authors said in their introduction, had increased in number and frequency, and the Pentagon was satisfying those requirements with a smaller force, comprising both active and

22

Reserve components – with an increased proportion of reserves. “In short,” the authors wrote, “U.S. forces are more active, mobile, and dispersed than they were in the past, and they are also more likely to work in joint operations and partnerships with others. The well-being and fitness of U.S. forces for duty is more important and more complicated than ever.” WHAT FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION LOOKS LIKE TODAY This accumulation of post-Vietnam considerations broadened military medicine’s focus in two ways: It extended the focus in terms of time, to consider health both before and after deployment, and in terms of the nature of one’s service, beyond a strict focus on combat arms. The DOD directive issued in 2004 described force health protection measures as “encompassing the full spectrum of missions, responsibilities, and actions of the DOD Components in establishing, sustaining, restoring, and improving the health of their forces.” Said Smith: “These various components related to recruitment, preventive medicine, and rehabilitation all began to be brought together after the First Gulf War, into this new overall rubric of force health protection. There’s nothing new in it, except it’s now a single doctrinal node.” Preventive military medicine dates to Washington and the Siege of Boston, but it wasn’t until 2010, when the U.S. Army Public Health Command was established, that the Army elevated it to the level of a command. Today, this doctrine balances the Military Health System’s primary mandates: to promote and sustain health and wellness throughout each person’s military service; to prevent acute and chronic illnesses and injuries during training and deployment; and to rapidly stabilize, treat, and evacuate casualties. “Force health protection,” said Terry Rauch, Ph.D., acting deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight, “is basically all measures taken by commanders, supervisors, individual service members, and our medical enterprise to promote, protect,


improve, and restore the mental and physical well-being of service members. And that spans all military activities and operations. These force health protection measures enable the fielding of a healthy and fit force, help us prevent injuries and illnesses, and protect the force from health hazards generated by military operations. They also provide rehab care to wounded, ill, and injured.” That description covers a lot – it’s meant to – but it doesn’t explain how military medicine might look different in the force health protection era. The key difference, Rauch said, is that, “all of our components implement these programs and processes of force health protection” – if you’re a military neurosurgeon, for example, you will learn about things such as dietary standards, dental health, public health research, tobacco use, and stress management techniques. If you’re a deployed service member, you may, in the near future, be outfitted with a wearable array of sensors that will monitor and analyze the interplay between what’s going on inside you – your vital signs, for example – and outside you in the environment. Several such systems, researched for the last several years among the separate branches, have evolved into a single joint development program. “Our goal in this,” said Rauch, “is to have a suite of sensors, worn by the individual service member, that would capture data on all exposures and experiences at any point in time, analyze it, and send that analysis to inform decision-makers of anything potentially harmful to that service member.” Such a system will be a natural evolution of the cradle-to-grave data set, to include realtime updates on the hazards confronted by deployed service members. If standardized TCCC becomes DOD policy, Smith said, “then at all the new recruit stations... people are going to begin to learn some level of tactical combat casualty care. That will be a new evolution in force health protection. Preventive military medicine dates to Washington and the Siege of Boston, but it wasn’t until 2010, when the U.S. Army Public Health Command was

established, that the Army elevated it to the level of a command. Force health protection requires all military doctors to learn some preventive medicine – a stipulation that yielded immediate results in 2003, when Joint Task Force Liberia, with an operational component of 3,000 U.S. Marines, deployed to help stabilize the West Africa nation in the midst of a civil war that had created a refugee crisis. “In Liberia,” said Smith, “it was a surgeon who recognized that some of those Marines had malaria. Why? Because he had extra preventive medicine training that a surgeon wouldn’t normally get, because the military was refocusing on this new force health protection strategy.” Because force health protection is envisioned as life-cycle health support, the same holds true on the battlefield, as the military’s Joint Trauma System has promoted the idea that knowledge of the military’s evidence-based Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines should go beyond forward mwedical teams to reach the combatants themselves. The most recent version of the National Defense Authorization Act calls for standardized TCCC training for combatants as well as forward medical teams. “If you’re going to return wounded people to duty,” Smith said, “you’ve got to keep them alive. And often the medic can’t keep them alive, because the medic is not there. So we’ve got to teach people enough about it to keep their buddies alive until the medic can reach them.” If standardized TCCC becomes DOD policy, Smith said, “then at all the new recruit stations ... people are going to begin to learn some level of tactical combat casualty care. That will be a new evolution in force health protection. So in both prevention and in returning people to duty, force health protection continues to be dynamic and evolving.”

23



Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.