JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-Fort Sam Houston, Texas -- While the Army Best Medic Competition received all the attention last week, the Command Sergeant Major, or CSM, Summit brought together noncommissioned officers from across the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) for five days of developmental and operational overviews and updates on innovative Army Medicine activities.
With 44 sessions, a day at the Best Medic Competition and other activities, approximately 75 participants were plenty busy and walked away with a feeling of community, wealth of knowledge and inspiration to bring back to their Soldiers.
As expected, readiness was the key point throughout the summit. Along with this emphasis, changing the battlefield paradigm was a clear theme to internalize, bring back to formations and implement in order to ensure all Army Medicine activities could robustly support readiness for the long term.
"It's incumbent on all of us to change the platform so everyone is ready to go tomorrow," AMEDD Center and School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence, Commanding General Maj. Gen. Brian Lein said. "Every one of our games is an away game."
Attendees were urged to expect the best out of their medical personnel while changing mindsets from a garrison focus to an expeditionary focus in order to be ready to go anytime.
"The idea of 'thinking more expeditionary' at home is simply being cognizant of what our AMEDD Force must do in the operational sector -- 'combat operations' and the many opportunities we have to train, educate and 'make ready' our commissioned and enlisted providers and technicians while serving in our Military Treatment Facilities and Health Readiness Platforms," MEDCOM Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald C. Ecker said. "Additionally, we practice at home what we execute in war so it's important that we have an acute, collective understanding of wartime requirements in order to conceptualize and visualize how we will operate on the future battlefield or the 'multiple-domains' of future combat operations."
The future for combat medics will also be full of increasing capabilities and new challenges, Lein mentioned. Consideration has been going into looking at having medics certified above the EMT Basic level to get them the credit they deserve, he said.
"We have to train to a higher standard because that's what's expected of us on the battlefield of tomorrow," Lein said.
As for all other Soldiers, everyone has to do their part to be ready, and following the basics of good sleep, food and exercise is a great start. Leaders can help by setting a good example and living a healthy lifestyle too.
"Every one of us can make and keep ourselves ready every day through the disciplined practice of our Performance Triad doctrine," Ecker said. "The triad of sleep, activity (or Physical Readiness Training -- PRT) and nutrition is the foremost capability enhancer of our individual Soldier human dimension doctrine. "
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