File:AMPHIB MED SUPPORT SYS DEV (IA AMPHIBMEDSUPPORTSYSDEV).pdf

Amphibious warfare operational support concepts have changed considerably in recent years. Recent advances in science and technology can provide for major improvement in the medical support afforded to amphibious operations by developing better medical procedures, techniques, standards, equipment, and facilities. In addition to ensuring better care for the sick and wounded, such improved medical support must provide more effective and efficient means for operational management of medical materiel and manpower resources than have been available in the past. The objective of the required development effort is to produce a fully functional medical support system for amphibious operations involving landing forces up to and including 1 MAF in size. The full medical support system shall be deployable on thirty days notice and capable of completely supporting actions up to six months in duration. This system must provide full integration between afloat and ashore facilities and must include preventive medical services, medical/ surgical/ dental care services, local and onward medical evacuation and casualty distribution, medical supplies including preserved blood and tissue components, emergency deployment of medical specialists and enlisted personnel from the shore establishment to the operating forces, and operational command and control of the medical support system. The facilities must provide for the mobility , reliability, maintainability, and operational flexibility to render appropriate medical care to 10% of the landing force within any twenty-four hours, and sustained loads of 25% per month. The system must be fully compatible with Joint and Combined  operations as well as unilateral Navy-Marine operations. Development will be guided by the requirements of the operating forces, advances in scientific and technological capabilities, program progress, cost-effectiveness, and the availability of RDT&E resources. The end items resulting will generally be in the form of new or improved specifications, procedures, techniques, standards, design criteria, prototype medical equipment, prototype technical manuals and computer software. A prototype integrated amphibious medical support system should be available for fleet operational test and evaluation by FY 1977.