US medical professionals build readiness in Senegal

ZIGUINCHOR, Senegal - When U.S. Army Maj. Erin Graham, a physical therapist with the Vermont National Guard, tried helping a Senegalese woman with a broken femur out of bed, she immediately noticed something was wrong.

The hospital bed would not lower. Its wheels would not lock into place.

As Graham and her team worked to safely move the patient, the bed shifted beneath them, creating another challenge in an already difficult situation. It was a reminder that, in austere environments, many of the tools and systems Graham relies on back home simply may not be available.

"It's the little things you don't think about at home," Graham said. "Things like adjustable beds, wedges or even hooks for catheter bags. Here, you realize how much you rely on them."

Currently, Graham and her colleagues are participating in a medical readiness exercise in Senegal, as part of African Lion 26. Running from April 25 to May 8, the exercise brings together U.S. Army medical professionals and Senegalese Armed Forces healthcare providers to strengthen medical readiness and interoperability, while operating in expeditionary environments.

The training spans multiple facilities across the region, including Ziguinchor Regional Hospital, Hospital De La Paix and a local military hospital. U.S., Austrian, Italian and Senegalese medical professionals work side by side in these locations, treating patients while exchanging knowledge and techniques shaped by their respective environments.

Executed by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the exercise prepares military health professionals to deliver care outside traditional clinical settings while strengthening partnerships with African allies.

For Graham, who previously supported Hurricane Helene response and COVID-19 missions with the Vermont National Guard, the experience has pushed her outside her comfort zone and forced her to think differently as a physical therapist.

"You have to figure it out when you don't have the equipment you're used to having," Graham said.

Throughout the exercise, Graham has had to rethink even simple tasks, from moving patients without adjustable beds to securing catheter bags without the hooks commonly found in U.S. hospitals.

"At home, if I need a wheelchair or walker, there's one available," Graham said. "Here, you learn to work with what you have."

Experiences like these help train military medical professionals to operate in austere environments where medical infrastructure and equipment may be limited during future combat or disaster-response missions.

Alongside Senegalese providers, U.S. and multinational medical professionals strengthen interoperability and build readiness while working in resource-constrained settings.

The MEDREX also reflects the longstanding relationship between Senegal and the Vermont National Guard through the National Guard's State Partnership Program, which has connected the two partners for decades through military cooperation and training exchanges.

Senegal gave Graham more than clinical practice. It gave her new ways to think, adapt and solve problems when the unexpected becomes the norm.

At home, a hospital bed lowers with a tap of a pedal, but here she learned how to move patients and complete the mission even when the equipment she relies upon simply doesn't exist.

About African Lion

African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.

African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

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