Force Health Protection Division supports DEFENDER 25 across Lithuania

GAIŽIŪNAI, Lithuania — The Defense Health Agency’s Operational Medical Systems Program Management Office recently completed its support of the ongoing Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, or DEFENDER, exercise at Vepriai Rocket Base in Lithuania, May 19, 2025. DEFENDER 25 is a major annual U.S. Army exercise, involving approximately 12,000 U.S. servicemembers and 13,000 troops from 29 partner nations.

The exercise underscores the Department of Defense’s commitment to bolstering Warfighter lethality and combatant command readiness across Europe.

During Swift Response, the initial phase of DEFENDER 25, OPMED’s Force Health Protection, or FHP, team provided essential support and expertise to U.S. Army medical providers assigned to the 512th Field Hospital, 519th Hospital Center, 68th Theater Medical Command and 30th Medical Brigade; and 173rd Airborne Brigade.

FHP plays a critical role in bridging medical gaps by providing investigational medical products, which are authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, to the joint force. This occurs when no FDA-approved solution is available or feasible to meet operational requirements, according to U.S. Army Col. Chuck Bane, director of FHP. His team works with combatant commands and regulatory experts across the globe to make lifesaving treatments available to Warfighters when there is an urgent need.

DEFENDER 25 is a chance for FHP to exercise and validate their regulatory oversight processes and learn from frontline medical providers. The knowledge gained will assist the Operational Medical Systems Program Management Office in developing the next generation of medical treatment capabilities for the U.S. joint force.

"DEFENDER 25 provided a critical opportunity to assess our capabilities in a complex, multinational environment," said Bane, an Army veterinarian by trade. "Our team focused on ensuring our partners with the 512th Field Hospital have the tools and knowledge necessary to protect the force while adhering to regulatory policies, even in the most challenging scenarios."

The 512th Field Hospital, based at Kaiserslautern, Germany as part of 519th Hospital Center, established far-forward medical facilities in support of DEFENDER 25 at Vepriai Rocket Base. Part of the DEFENDER 2025 Hospital Exercise included the strategic deployment of prophylactic drug treatments that are designed to counter potential airborne biological weapon threats against U.S. joint forces operating in challenging and remote locations.

In partnership with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Enabling Biotechnologies, JPEO-CBRND-EB — which manages the Rapid Access to Products in Development, RAPID, program — FHP assessed the 512th Field Hospital’s capability to adhere to regulatory requirements for transporting, storing and administering a simulated investigational pre-exposure treatment made available under an investigational new drug expanded access protocol in forward operational areas.

Under a concept of operations created by the JPEO-CBRND-EB RAPID team, a notional treatment was pre-staged in Germany in the weeks leading up to DEFENDER 25 through collaboration and logistical planning between FHP, JPEO-CBRND, the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Distribution Operations Center, and the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Europe. During DEFENDER 2025, the FHP team worked with medics and medical officers on the ground at Vepriai Rocket Base to ensure all EAP use guidelines were followed, according to Chris Weselek, a product manager with FHP and a retired U.S. Army combat medic.

"Our priority is to equip our medical personnel with the confidence and understanding to safely and effectively utilize investigational medical countermeasures when standard options are unavailable," said Weselek. "This collaboration with the RAPID team at DEFENDER 25 highlights the capability that the RAPID program will bring to the table while allowing us to validate our training and oversight processes in a realistic operational setting."