SETAF-AF to showcase MEDREX program at AUSA 2024

By SETAF-AF Public AffairsOctober 14, 2024

US, Burundi military healthcare teams work together in the ICU
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Capt. Michelle Smith, an emergency nurse (66T) assigned to the 30th Medical Brigade, holds the hand of a Burundian patient while her fistula gets cleaned during the medical readiness exercise (MEDREX) in Bujumbura, Burundi, July 22, 2024.

MEDREX is a medical readiness exercise, planned and executed by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), enabling military health professionals from the U.S. and their African partners to exchange medical practices, procedures and techniques that enhance treatment capabilities and result in lasting relationships between the participants.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla) (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINAL
MEDREX Senegal - Labor Doula soothes a newborn
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christina Fontaine, a doula with the Vermont National Guard, soothes a days-old newborn, during a medical readiness exercise in Senegal. Fontaine is part of a 40-person U.S. medical team working alongside Senegalese hospital professionals at the Thies Regional Hospital and two smaller hospitals in and around Thies, Senegal over the two-week MEDREX Senegal 2023 exercise.

MEDREX is a program designed and overseen by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) that allows medical personnel from the U.S. military and partner nations to exchange medical procedures and strengthen treatment capabilities. The exercise exposes participants to unique medical delivery methods, and ultimately improves their capacity to assess and deliver medical care. MEDREX Senegal 2023 is organized and executed by the Vermont National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) and administered by the National Guard Bureau. The Vermont National Guard and Senegal have been partnered through SPP since 2008. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Alisha Grezlik) (Photo Credit: Spc. Alisha Grezlik)
VIEW ORIGINAL
MEDREX 19-3
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. SrA. Maggie Swenson, Aerospace Medical Technician, assigned to 119 Medical Group, North Dakota Air National Guard, watches a Ghanaian medical professional write down results of a patient's test during Medical Readiness Exercise 19-3 at Accra, Ghana, June 10, 2019. MEDREX 19-3 allows U.S. forces to train in an alternatively resourced environment, share medical practices, and build lasting relationships with Ghanaian medical professionals. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Craig Jensen) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Craig Jensen) VIEW ORIGINAL

VICENZA, Italy — The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) will take center stage at the U.S. Army’s Warriors Corner during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C., highlighting how its medical readiness exercises, or MEDREX, help build lasting partnerships across Africa.

On Wed., Oct. 16 at 10:05 a.m. (EST), U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, commanding general of SETAF-AF, will join Col. Kelley Togiola, SETAF-AF Global Health Engagements chief, and Lt. Gen. Mary Izaguirre, U.S. Army Surgeon General, for a Warriors Corner presentation titled “Human Connections: The Force Multiplier in Africa.”

The presentation will explore how the MEDREX program strengthens partnerships and improves healthcare outcomes across Africa, reinforcing U.S. Africa Command priorities. These exercises enable SETAF-AF and its African partners to enhance joint medical readiness, build strategic access, and foster long-term relationships that promote regional stability.

“Each medical readiness exercise enhances our ability to work together when crisis comes,” Gainey said. “We must be ready to deploy and rapidly integrate with our partners at the point of need.”

The presentation will be livestreamed on DVIDS and on SETAF-AF's Facebook.

US, Burundi military healthcare teams work together in the ER
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Capt. Kathleen Smith, an emergency room nurse (66T) assigned to the 30th Medical Brigade, comforts a Burundian child with an unknown condition during the medical readiness exercise (MEDREX) in Bujumbura, Burundi, July 24, 2024.

MEDREX is a medical readiness exercise, planned and executed by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), enabling military health professionals from the U.S. and their African partners to exchange medical practices, procedures and techniques that enhance treatment capabilities and result in lasting relationships between the participants.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla) (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINAL
US concludes successful bilateral medical readiness exercise in Angola
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An Angolan Army health professional hugs U.S Army 1st Lt. Nicole Bennett following the medical readiness exercise (MEDREX) closing ceremony in Luanda, Angola, July 18, 2024.

A MEDREX is a medical readiness exercise, planned and executed by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), enabling military health professionals from the U.S. and their African partners to exchange medical practices, procedures and techniques that enhance treatment capabilities and result in lasting relationships between the participants.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla) (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINAL

The Warriors Corner session, held at Hall B, Booth 1825, will be part of the U.S. Army Exhibit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This year’s AUSA theme, “Transforming for a Complex World,” focuses on the Army’s efforts to modernize and restructure to meet challenges in an increasingly volatile global environment.

“This is a critical time in our global history, and the best way to be successful is through partnerships,” said Lt. Gen. Mary Izaguirre, the Army surgeon general. “We build trust by learning together, by listening to each other, and by working side by side together.”

SETAF-AF plays a pivotal role in coordinating U.S. Army operations in Africa, supporting AFRICOM and U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

“Working alongside African military medical professionals strengthens partnerships that contribute to regional stability and security,” said Togiola. “By addressing shared health challenges, we lay the groundwork for broader military and diplomatic cooperation.”

About MEDREX

MEDREX is a medical readiness exercise, planned and executed by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), enabling military health professionals from the U.S. and their African partners to exchange medical practices, procedures and techniques that enhance treatment capabilities and result in lasting relationships between the participants.