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Allied medical resilience in the Nordics

Due to the rural areas, geography and climate, the challenges for medical services in these areas is many. The nordic challenges comes on top of demanding war situations. This was the scenery during the medical table top exercise where Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, UK and USA met.

Finland and Sweden as part of the NATO alliance

The medical services from the respective countries went through medical scenarios for war-time in the high north region. – I am completely convinced that there will be more cooperation within medical with NATO, but also between the Nordic countries. We will have a common area of ​​operation and the problems up here are common. They are international. And then the alliance and membership in NATO facilitate joint planning, says the Swedish Surgeon General Claes Ivgren. In addition to NATO, the Nordic countries are also bonded together through by others the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

 

Total Defense Concepts

The utilization of the Total Defense Concepts in the Nordics was also an important topic during the exercise. As we see in Ukraine medical preparedness for wartime needs to include both military and civilian health services. The civilian side of the health system therefore also participated, represented by the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Regional Health Authority in the Northern Norway.

What is a Tabletop Exercise?

Tabletop exercises (TTX or TTE) are discussion-based sessions where team members meet in an informal, classroom setting to discuss their roles during an emergency and their responses to a particular emergency situation. A facilitator guides participants through a discussion of one or more scenarios.
It involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios in an informal setting. TTXs can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures.

Total Defense Concepts

The utilization of the Total Defense Concepts in the Nordics was also a important topic during the exercise. As we see in Ukraine medical preparedness for wartime needs to include both military and civilian health services. The civilian side of the health system therefore also participated, represented by the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Regional Health Authority in the North-Norway.

Supports common situational understanding

-Exercises like this supports common situational understanding regarding both scenarios and the use of the medical support for military operations. Both national and allied, civilian and military, says the host of the exercise Surgeon General Petter Iversen. In addition to be the Norwegian Surgeon General, he is the commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services. – This exercise focused on scenarios in Norway, but many of the scenarios is also relevant for the other Nordic countries. At the same time we need in the future to look into scenarios in the other Nordic countries, both individually and the entire Nordic area as a whole.

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Preserve combat power and save lifes

The discussion also covered by other things evacuation, medical logistics, blood, triage and reverse triage (injured soldiers return to duty after medical support). These topics are relevant for both the Nordic countries and expeditionary forces like those from US and UK, including the force integration in between. For all the main goals is to preserve combat power and save the lifes of those putting their life on stakes to preserve free and democratic nations.