A symposium, organised jointly by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), has taken place in Brussels to discuss medical support for EU operations.
“We are here because of our soldiers,” started EDA Capability Director Peter Round’s opening remarks to the symposium. Ensuring that soldiers have access to adequate medical facilities is a prerequisite for any military operation. However, delivering this requires the involvement of a wide range of actors – from those involved in developing new military medical capabilities through to the doctors and nurses implementing the medical plans on the ground. This was the purpose behind the symposium – bringing together this diverse group involved in medical support to EU operations, create synergies, and find new and better ways to support European soldiers.
Providing more effective support for European troops
The conference brings together 75 experts from the EU institutions, Member States, industry, and EU missions. It began with high-level figures from EDA, EUMS, and the European External Action Service (EEAS) outlining their respective roles in medical support with each stressing the importance of close coordination, to avoid duplication and to ensure the best possible medical support was developed.
Providing a view from the ground, Alison Farmer, Joint-Medical Planner for the EU Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali, reiterated the importance of medical support . “The morale of the soldiers is of key importance to us - making sure we have the medical capabilities we need in the right place, at the right time, gives our soldiers the confidence to get on and do their jobs effectively.” She went on to explain how the operational planning for medical support works in practice and what challenges and difficulties they faced in the field.
The conference will run until 16 October and will include panel debates, open discussions, and informal networking opportunities.
EDA and Medical Support
Initiated by EDA in 2011 and led by Italy, the Multinational Modular Medical Units project aims to develop a state-of-the-art deployable field hospital that should become available to CSDP operations. It is designed to be used in a wide a range of missions, from peacekeeping to humanitarian relief and coercive operations. So far 16 Member States have joined the project.
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