JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Jordan –
Proper medical care and evacuation, in a tactical environment, can be the difference between life and death.
Jordan Soldiers, with 7th Mechanized Battalion, 48th Mechanized Brigade, worked alongside U.S. Army Soldiers, with 1st Squadron, 102nd Cavalry Regiment (102-CAV), 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 42nd Infantry Division, New Jersey National Guard, for ground casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) training, and received air support from U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with G Company, 5th General Support Aviation Battalion, 244th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Warhawk, for medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) training, part of the Jordan Operational Engagement Program (JOEP) at Joint Training Center-Jordan August 27, 2019.
“One of the facets of the JOEP that deserves attention is our medical training program,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Omar Minott, squadron commander with 1st Squadron, 102-CAV.
The Soldiers practiced reacting to enemy fire, room clearing techniques and performing CASEVACs for notionally injured troops. Once the injured were relocated to a secure location, they provided tactical field care and performed MEDEVACs into a UH-60 Black Hawk. The focus of this training was readiness, the capability of forces to conduct the full range of military operations to defeat all enemies regardless of the threats they pose.
Field medical training is an important aspect of the 14-week JOEP. It enables each military member to become more skilled on tactical medical techniques and, according to Minott, “…able to save the life of his fellow Soldier or civilian in distress with a level of skill and confidence that would be very hard to replicate without our JOEP medical training program of instruction.”
Troops from 102-CAV demonstrated being hoisted into a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter on a Rescue Seat, simulating the removal of casualties from areas where a helicopter would not be able to safely land due to terrain or enemy forces.
The JOEP is the largest training program funded by Title 10 USC Section 333. The U.S. is committed to training and equipping Jordan in its battle to defend their country against ISIS and any other violent extremist organization that may threaten the safety of its people. Minott described the JOEP as a “win-win” for both the U.S. and Jordan.
“For the U.S., we get a closely aligned regional partner that is better able to defend its borders from external threat, namely ISIS,” he explained, “The more capable the Border Guard Force is, the better protected and more stable Jordan is; the more stable Jordan is, moreover, the further U.S. strategic interests advance in the Middle east.”
The Army is optimizing for interoperability with all our allies and partners to strengthen alliances and deliver more effective coalition operations. The purpose of the JOEP is to partner and train with the Jordan Army battalions mobilizing for missions on the border. The program’s intent is to conduct meaningful partnership training with the JAF leading to promotion of stability and security in the region.
The aviation brigade was on-ground in Jordan supporting Operation Eager Lion, U.S. Central Command’s premier exercise in the Levant Region and a major training event that provides U.S. forces, Jordan Armed Forces and 28 other participating nations the opportunity to improve their collective ability to plan and operate in a coalition type environment.