Scope. a. USSOCOM’s principle function is to prepare SOF to carry out assigned missions. This responsibility is derived from US Code Title 10, Section 167. In addition to organizing, training, and equipping SOF for unique missions, medical education is fundamental to fulfilling this law. Title 10 explicit responsibilities include development of strategy, doctrine, tactics, conducting specialized courses of medical instruction for commissioned and non-commissioned officers, and monitoring the medical education and professional certification of officers and enlisted personnel. USSOCOM’s medical education and certification responsibilities are inherent responsibilities of developing strategy, doctrine and tactics. b. The Commander, United States Special Operations Command (CDRUSSOCOM) has the service- like responsibility of providing joint training and education venues that specialize in the art and science of joint Special Operations and its medical support. These efforts complete the education and training picture within the Department of Defense (DOD). While each of the Services, and the joint community, provide education and training to fill a particular niche (i.e., naval warfare, air warfare, joint warfare, etc.) the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center (JSOMTC) within USSOCOM and the Air Force’s Pararescue (PJ) course provides training to fill the medical niche of joint SOF core task requirements. SOF medical training and certification is force-wide, designed to initiate, maintain, and/or enhance medical skills of those SOF medics and non-medics who are required to perform the unique, global, multi- discipline mission of USSOCOM. Within the parameters of this directive, as outlined by first reference (Glossary Section III), USSOCOM’s primary responsibility is the medical education and training and certification of SOF. A secondary responsibility is the training and education of select DOD, interagency, and international military personnel in the requirements, capabilities, and limitation(s) of joint special operations organizations. Fostering a mutual understanding ensures the proper application of SOF and the enhancement of joint, combined and interagency medical operations. General. In support of the Global War On Terrorism (GWOT), Special Operations medical personnel often find themselves providing care for both trauma and non-traumatic medical emergencies, beyond the Forward Edge of the Battlefield Area/Forward Line Of Troops, often in non-linear environments that may be far forward of any supporting medical infrastructure. This directive identifies the authority, mission, command relationships, functions, and responsibilities of the United States Special Operations Command as directed under Section 167, Title 10 of US Code to provide SOF medics with the required skill sets. In order to define and administer this SOF Medical skill set, USSOCOM has established a SOF Emergency Medical Services (EMS) State that is administered by the Command Surgeon. Medics who successfully complete the required academic requirements as defined within this directive will thus be known as SOF Advanced Tactical Practitioners (ATP).

This brief, practical text covers all aspects of tactical emergency medicine—the practice of emergency medicine in the field, rather than at the hospital, during disasters, police or military conflicts, mass events, and community incidents. Key topics covered include hostage survival, insertion and extraction techniques, continuum of force, medical support, planning and triage, medical evaluation in the incident zone, care in custody, medical control of incident site, decontamination, community communication, and more. Boxed definitions, case scenarios, and treatment algorithms are included. The concluding chapter presents "real world" scenarios to run tactical teams through and lists recommended training programs and continuing education.

This reference places the latest information at users' fingertips, and a more streamlined format makes it easy to find the exact information quickly and conveniently. Includes access to a companion Web site for additional resources.

This handbook was previously distributed as a supplement to the Journal of Special Operations Medicine. The realm of special operations forces (SOF) medicine is a unique and ever-changing one that demands specialized training for our joint SOF. Managing trauma on today’s battlefield presents a dynamic array of challenges where limited resources can be rapidly overwhelmed. An austere environment, hostile gunfire, and delays in casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) are the norms for the special operations medic. The material in this handbook was gleaned from special operations medics operating in the Global War on Terrorism and other operational environments. It should not be viewed as a substitute for the professional training and judgment of special operations medics; rather, it is designed to be a hip-pocket reference on the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) of SOF-relevant tactical combat casualty care. Key Lessons Ninety percent of combat loss of life occurs before casualties ever reach a military treatment facility (MTF); treatment prior to casualty evacuation is vital. Litter carries are fundamental for good patient care; they prevent further injury and get individuals off target as soon as possible. Rehearse manual carry methods prior to deployment. Every special operations warfighter should carry a tourniquet and be thoroughly familiar with its application. When managing multiple casualties, apply the principles of triage in classifying the priority of treatment and evacuation. Rehearse and employ all of the mechanics of CASEVAC from the point of injury to the handover at a MTF. This handbook provides a number of considerations when employing medical support to SOF in combat. The challenges are numerous, but the special operations medic must deliver medical care to save Soldiers’ lives. The collection of TTP in this handbook will enhance the medic’s ability to determine the optimum method to deliver casualty survival assistance.

Currently, hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) are leading candidates as red blood cell substitutes. In addition, HBOCs are also potential oxygen therapeutics for treatment of patients with critical ischemic conditions due to atherosclerosis, diabetes and other conditions. This book will provide readers a comprehensive review of topics involved in the HBOC development. It focusses on current products and clinical applications as well as on emerging technologies and future prospects.

Animals and War: Confronting the Military-Animal Industrial Complex is the first book to examine how nonhuman animals are used for war by military forces. Each chapter delves deeply into modes of nonhuman animal exploitation: as weapons, test subjects, and transportation, and as casualties of war leading to homelessness, starvation, and death. With leading scholar-activists writing each chapter, this is an important text in the fields of peace studies and critical animal studies. This is a must read for anyone interested in ending war and fostering peace and justice.

This issue of Physician Assistant Clinics, Guest Edited by Mary Showstark, MS, PA-C, is devoted to Disaster Medicine. Articles in this important issue include: Behavioral Health: How Responders Can Prepare and Cope After a Disaster; Chemical Threat: What Physician Assistants Need to Know; Medical Emergency Radiological Response/ Nuclear Threat/ Radiation Injury; Pathogens of High Consequence: Category A and B Agents - A Practical Guide to Understanding; Responder Communications in Disaster Medicine; Stopping the Bleed in Disaster Medicine; Vehicle Attacks; Physician Assistant Readiness and Resiliency for a Disaster; Crisis Standard of Care; Treating Patients After Bombs and Blasts; Vulnerable Populations in Disaster; and School Shootings, Mass Shootings, and Other Evolving Terrorist Threats. CME credits are also available to subscribers of this series.

A story of equipment failures, bad luck, poor planning and unbelievable courage written 25 years after the battle, this new book by Leigh Neville reveals the hard-hitting truth of what happened minute by minute in the dusty streets of Mogadishu. On October 3, 1993, Task Force Ranger was dispatched to seize two high-profile lieutenants of a Somali warlord. Special Forces troops were transported by ground vehicles and helicopters, and the mission was meant to be over within the hour. They quickly found themselves under heavy fire, and two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down. With a hastily organized relief column many hours away, the American troops faced a desperate battle for survival. Focusing on the stories of the soldiers on the ground, and in the air, Day of the Rangers reveals the experiences and recollections of the Special Forces units, including the Rangers, Delta operators and Nightstalker crews who fought in the battle of Mogadishu. Published to mark the battle's 25th anniversary and using recently declassified documents and new interviews with many of the participants, Day of the Rangers is a fascinating and revealing new history of a battle that would influence American Special Forces for decades to come.