Air Force Special Operations

• Primary Care
• Force Sustainment
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Preventive Medicine
• Aerospace Medicine
• Casualty Evacuation Support from Forward Areas to the SOF air-ground interface point, usually at the SOF Intermediate or Forward Staging Base (ISB/FSBO.

This capability can be provided during night operations by utilizing special night vision devices. At the ISB/FSB, casualties transition to the conventional medical regulating and aeromedical evacuation systems.

AFSOC medical Unit Type Codes (UTC) have been developed utilizing the building block principle. This allows planners to select specific UTCs required to support a contingency or those used for developing OPLANS. This is accomplished by paring and tailoring medical assets to the operational need.

Each UTC is developed to support a specific operational medical requirement and has specific mission capabilities. Equipment packages are designed for highly mobile and austere, but adequate conditions. As workload changes, or is expected to change, UTC packages (personnel and equipment) can be tailored up or down, replicated, or combined with previously deployed UTCs at the needed locations. The concept is to identify the actual resources required to meet mission requirements and choose a package to support the need.

Personnel

UTC: FFQEK
Special Operations Forces Medical Element (SOFME)
Mission Capabilities Statement (MISCAP)

Provides medical support to an operational AFSOC Squadron or other special operations units at a main/forward operating base, collocated operating base, bare base, or other locations as required. When deployed in conjunction with UTCs FFQEL or FFQEM (SOF Air Transportable Treatment Unit or SOF Medical Rapid Response Deployment Kits) capable of providing primary care/emergency medical support to a deployed AFSOC or SOF unit, provide limited far forward casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) for any special operations unit, provide short term casualty holding and staging for aeromedical evacuation (AE for SOF units via AFSOC or any opportune aircraft), and provide added advanced medical capability to deployed joint medical packages. Manpower: 

• 1 Flight Surgeon
• 1 Aeromedical Craftsman
• 1 Medical Service Journeyman

The heart and soul of AFSOC medical capability is the Special Operations Forces Medical Element (SOFME). The task of the SOFME is to take care of the warfighters by providing quality medical care whenever, wherever. Prevention and treatment of disease and illness is recognized as a force multiplier and a mission requirement. When required, SOFME personnel are trained to provide medical care aboard SOF aircraft, for the movement of patients from far forward areas in or near the combat zone, to other points of definitive medical care. 

SOFME personnel receive extensive medical training. 

Flight Surgeons are trained and qualified in:

• ACLS
• ATLS
• Global Medicine
• Trauma Management
• Treatment of Chem/Bio Casualties

Medical Technicians are trained and certified in:

• IDMT (Independent Duty Medical Technician)
• EMT-P (Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic)
• ACLS
• ATLS
• Treatment of Chem/Bio Casualties
• Aeromedical Evacuation

Equipment

AFSOC medical war readiness material (WRM) assemblages provide the SOFME with the extensive medical supplies and equipment needed to support combat casualties. All AFSOC WRM assemblages are packed to a standardized table of allowance (TA) to ensure interoperability between AFSOC medical personnel. The SOF Medical Kit is comprised of a vest and backpack carried by each person assigned to the SOFME. These are easily accessible for short notice taskings or first response requirements. It is comprised of medical supplies to provide immediate advanced trauma life support on the ground or during inflight missions for 2-3 severely injured casualties.

UTC: FFQEM
SOF Rapid Response Deploy Kits (RRDK)
Mission Capabilities Statement

Contains medical supplies and equipment package to support trauma, limited sick call, preventive medicine and emergency medical treatment for short tactical deployment 250 people for 30 days without resupply. Capable of operating from: mb, lb, sb, in support of special operations forces to an austere location when deployed in conjunction with special operations forces medical elements (SOFME).

The Rapid Response Deployment Kit (RRDK) is made up of four modules; Advanced Resuscitation Module, Trauma Module, Environmental Module, and Medical Module. Each module has a specific function. Generally, the RRDK provides man portable medical supplies and equipment needed to support short term tactical deployment of SOF to an austere location, preventive medicine and emergency medical treatment resources, and basic outpatient and advanced trauma life support for a deployed base population of 250 for approximately 30 days.

The advanced Resuscitation Module is comprised of medical supplies and equipment to support inflight advanced cardiac life support to combat casualties. The Trauma module has medical equipment for performing advanced life support procedures during mass casualty situations or support a casualty collection point. The Environmental Module encompasses equipment and supplies utilized for conducting public health threat assessments at a deployed location. The Medical Module is packed with medical equipment and supplies to provide routine patient care.

UTC: FFQEL
SOF Air Transportable Treatment Unit
Mission Capabilities Statement

Deploys with special operations forces medical elements to provide medical equipment and supply package to support primary care and emergency medical support of a deployed special operations squadron or other special operations unit. Provides self-contained deployable shelter system with tents, generator, and environmental control unit along with BW/CW Treatment Module Laboratory Module and Administration Module. Cots are provided for casualty holding and staging for aeromedical evacuation. Normally collocated with a deployed AFSOC flying squadron. Self-sufficient for short periods, but requires base operating support for extended duration operations. capable of operating from: MB, LB, SB, BB

The SOF Base Medical Support is made up of four modules: Air Transportable Treatment Unit, Laboratory Module, BW/CW Treatment Module, and Administrative Module. The SOF Base Medical Support is a medical equipment and supply package that may be deployed with SOF Medical Forces to provide primary care and emergency medical support to a deployed special operations squadron. It has limited outpatient capability and ten cots for holding stabilized casualties and staging patients for AE and is normally collocated with deployed AFSOC flying Squadron. The Air Transportable Treatment Unit is a mobile medical treatment facility for establishing an environmentally controlled shelter that is transported complete with generators, environmental control unit, and tents on a trailer. The laboratory Module comprises equipment and supplies to perform limited manual laboratory testing. The BW/CW Treatment Module includes medical supplies to minimally treat up to 10 previously decontaminated chemically or biologically contaminated casualties. The Administrative Module provides a laptop computer and other administrative supplies for a deployed SOFME or medical component of a 9AAHQ UTC.

Deployment Concept

The AFSOC medical UTC employment concept is to deploy several UTCs in support of AFSOC missions;. The SOFME and SOF Medical Kit (vest and backpack carried by each person) are the initial building blocks for AFSOC medical support and may be built upon as the contingency intensifies or as workload increases. Additional medical equipment and supplies can be provided by the Rapid Response Deployment Kit (*whole or partial) or SOF Base Medical Support as the workload and medical requirements dictate. Additionally, AFSOC can readily increase its medical capability at a staging base by adding, Air Force Mobile Field Surgical Teams (MFST), Critical Care Air Transports Teams (CCATT), or Squadron Medical Element Augmentation packages. Conventional aeromedical evacuation (AE) elements may also be integrated with organic medical capabilities of special operations units to enhance the medical and AE support to the operation.

A major benefit received from the development of the AFSOC medical modules is the flexibility for incremental deployment, paring up or down the RRDK, and the overall effect of reducing transportation requirements. The SOF Medical Kit allows deploying medics to hand carry this initial response package with them on any organic deploying AFSOC aircraft or palletize it with other mobility equipment being marshaled. Follow on medical equipment can be transported as needed or as airlift permits or by generating a separate airlift requirement. In essence, AFSOC medical capability can still be deployed when airlift is limited.

Utilization of SOFME for CASEVAC missions provides an additional medical capability to deployed SOF forces. AFSOC medical flight personnel are trained in contingency AE procedures and are qualified to provide limited casualty evacuation support. If the tactical situation permits and with the approval of the senior AFSOC line commander, AFSOC medical flight personnel can provide casualty evacuation support on SOF aircraft or other opportune aircraft. AFSOC medical flight personnel will have the capability to configure AFSOC or opportune aircraft and provide enroute medical stabilization, support, and intervention until a transition to the established conventional medical and AE systems can be made. The utilization of the CCATT in fixed wing aircraft may enhance AFSOC patient transport capability and provide he medical capability to transport support critically injured stabilized patients.

In summary, AFSOC has developed medical modules that can be deployed incrementally or totally in the multiples required to support operational requirements. SOFME personnel receive extensive medical training and AFSOC medical equipment and supply packages are designed to be highly mobile, relatively light weight, and sufficient to provide a total spectrum of medical care in austere environments. AFSOC medical modules can serve as the stand alone medical capability or the initial building blocks to which additional medical assets may be added. These additional assets may be acquired from AFSOC, other services SOF medical elements or from conventional military medical assets. Utilization of the SOFME with other AFSOC UTCs and other medical UTCs gives AFSOC the capability of providing a formidable medical presence.

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Department of the Navy
2300 E Street NW
Washington, D.C
20372-5300

Operational Medicine
 Health Care in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMED P-5139
  January 1, 2001