US Army, Angolan forces conclude medical readiness exercise in Luanda

LUANDA, Angola - U.S. Army medical professionals and members of the Angolan Armed Forces concluded a two-week medical readiness exercise (MEDREX) at Hospital Militar Principal in Luanda, Angola, Aug. 31-Sept. 11, strengthening the medical partnership between the two nations and enhancing combined readiness.

The exercise gave U.S. Army medical professionals valuable knowledge of procedures and capabilities for care across Africa. At the same time, the exchange provided Angolan Armed Forces an understanding of the capabilities of U.S. military medical providers. The collaboration is part of an ongoing series of medical engagements designed to improve regional security by ensuring both nations are prepared to respond effectively to health emergencies.

"Angola is an important strategic partner of the United States, and a strong and growing part of that relationship is our security and military-to-military cooperation," said Shannon Cazeau, chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Angola. "This medical readiness exercise exemplifies the benefits of that bilateral cooperation."

During the exercise, 10 U.S. Army reservists worked alongside their Angolan counterparts in academic classes, hands-on training, and discussions on critical topics including emergency room care, mass casualty procedures, aeromedical evacuation, treatment of common Angolan diseases and medical evacuation procedures.

We are very limited in the types of patient care we can perform in the United States, so we mostly train through simulation," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Matthew Koopmann, a general and vascular surgeon and officer in charge of the 915th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment (FRSD), 313th Hospital Center, 2nd Medical Brigade. "Being embedded in the Angolan Military Hospital has been invaluable for practicing the critical tasks we need to be ready to care for soldiers on the battlefield.

This exercise also included a significant real-world emergency that required U.S. and Angolan medical professionals to work side by side to stabilize a critically burned patient who arrived at the Hospital Militar Principal with injuries covering over 90 percent of their body. During the team's planned 24-hour operations, personnel from both nations combined their expertise to establish an airway and secure central venous access, demonstrating the critical value of their collaborative training.

"This MEDREX here in Luanda is more than training. It is a demonstration of partnership, readiness and shared commitment," said U.S. Army Col. John Knight, surgeon for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa. "Together, U.S. and Angolan medical professionals have strengthened our ability to respond whether on the battlefield or in civilian hospitals."

"Through this experience, everything that we trained in the United States came together. All parts of the team fell into place," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Koo, a combat medic and detachment sergeant of the 915th FRSD. "It was great seeing the flow of things and just how well we worked together in such an emergent situation."

This event builds on a history of medical cooperation between SETAF-AF and Angola, laying the groundwork for future integration between the two nations' medical forces.

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About MEDREX

Planned and executed by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), MEDREX enables military health professionals from the U.S. and their African partners to exchange medical practices, procedures and techniques that enhance treatment capabilities, strengthening partnerships and improving readiness in operational environments.

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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