The Air Force medical corps has fine-tuned a battlefield surgical capability—the Mobile Forward Surgical Team—that can deploy within 24-48 hours with 2,000 pounds of gear, enough to conduct 10 critical or 20 less-critical surgeries. It can be ready to operate within 15 minutes of arrival at its destination. It is not a future capability. One such team is in Southwest Asia now, working with the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group. If necessary, the five-person MFST could each carry a 70-pound backpack and several auxiliary bags and hike 10 miles to set up their field surgery. The team comprises a general surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, nurse, anesthesiologist, and an emergency physician.
President Donald Trump on July 4 signed into law $150 billion in defense funds as part of the tax-and-spending package known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” after congressional Republicans approved the legislation in narrow, drawn-out votes earlier this week.
