By James Cahill

HOHENFELS, GERMANY – Doctors and other medical personnel participated in the training exercise Saber Junction 23, which started Sept. 6 and ended Sept. 16, in Hohenfels, Germany, testing their capability to provide NATO-equivalent Role II medical services in a simulated combat environment. The hospital provided medical coverage to the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and other participating units, along with 14 Allied and Partner nations.

In a highly-specialized training event, Armenian military medics trained on loading and offloading simulated casualties with a U.S. medical evacuation helicopter.

“The participation of Armenian military medics in Saber Junction fortifies medical interoperability among our allies and partners. Moreover, this exercise is one avenue of building a stronger relationship between the U.S. and Armenia and sharing medical best practices and lessons learned to prepare for future operations,” said U.S. Air Force Col. James Chambers, U.S. European Command Surgeon.

The U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) surgeon team, which conducted some of the training, also praised the efforts of the Armenians.

"USAFE surgeon team, in cooperation with Kansas National Guard, has been working closely with Armenia in supporting their Role II development,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Nisha Baur, an International Health Specialist with the USAFE team. “The Kansas-USAFE team has participated in multiple engagements to enhance Armenia’s Role II capability. The Armenian team is motivated and interested in building the personnel and materials to support the Role II. They continually update their Standard Operating Procedures as they participate internally and externally in exercises."

Saber Junction is an annual exercise designed to prepare a U.S. Army Brigade Combat Team in support of NATO’s collective deterrence and defense initiatives. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment stationed at Rose Barracks, Germany, led Saber Junction 23.

More than 4,000 soldiers from 14 NATO Allies and partners participated in the exercise. Participating countries, along with the United States, were Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Armenia’s participation was an important step in a multi-year global health engagement “glide path” carefully facilitated by the U.S. EUCOM Surgeon’s office, the National Guard State Partnership Program, and U.S. service component international health experts.