US and Kyrgyz military medical personnel last month gathered at the Transit Center at Manas to discuss aeromedical evacuations as part of a broader effort to exchange information and build stronger ties. The meeting involved an overview of flight medicine, a presentation regarding stressors of flight on the human body, and a hands-on assessment and preparation of a simulated patient for evacuation, according to a March 28 Manas release. “It was very interesting because we have not experienced evacuation by plane or helicopter,” said Col. Abakir Abdurahmanov, Kyrgyz deputy commander of the Bishkek military hospital, of the March 18 exchange. “A lot of the information was new for us. Now we have some knowledge of aerospace medicine,” he added. US medics plan to meet with the Kyrgyz personnel on a monthly basis to discuss aeromedevac as part of their regular exchanges. “This is just the first step,” said Lt. Col. Robert Lehman, flight surgeon with Manas’ 376th Expeditionary Medical Group. “We never know where these things will lead us.” (Manas report by TSgt. Rachel Martinez)
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.