Tartu, Estonia -- More than 800 military and civilian medical personnel from 21 countries, including several senior officials from the Estonian Ministry of Defense, gathered in Tartu, Estonia Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 for the 29th annual Multinational Military Medical Engagement.
Co-hosted by the U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command, Europe and Estonian Defense Forces, the goal of this multinational engagement was to strengthen international partnerships and enhance interoperability with NATO allies and partners. This was the first year Estonian Defense Forces partnered with U.S. Army medical forces to host the engagement.
According to event organizers, this year’s engagement was a tremendous success and provided vital training opportunities and offered increased awareness of medical readiness on the battlefield.
Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray, commanding general of Medical Readiness Command, Europe, and command surgeon of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, attended the event and met with the Estonian President Alar Karis and other key military leaders.
“Events such as this MMME conference are vital in allowing multinational elements to compare and build practices for emergency care on the battlefield,” said Murray. “Meeting with partner nations allows discussion and development of medical practices.”
With a large multinational presence, more than 800 attendees represented a total of more than 20 different, mostly NATO, countries.
“Multinational Military Medical Exchange - each one of those words are important,” Murray said. “They highlight our ability to gather, share knowledge to ensure interoperability, and build relationships at the multinational level for us to be successful.”
This particular military medical engagement was unique in the fact that it was the first opportunity for leaders to be able to delve into current issues faced by emergency responders in Ukraine. Hearing from Ukrainian medical personnel allowed attendees to get a better understanding of new challenges facing medical providers on the battlefield.
“It is important to be able to compare and contrast what each other does,” said Murray. “We are then able to go forward and identify what one group does differently from the other to be able to understand the differences and be successful.”
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