U.S. Army Expands Medical Interoperability with Polish Allies
U.S. and Polish event participants observe U.S. Army Spc. Alexus Leyno and Polish Army counterpart brief K9 casualty care during Military Doctor in Łódź, Poland, 27 July 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. April Benson)
With a final swing of the hammer, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray affixed the U.S. Army Europe and Africa crest onto the wooden patch board at the Polish Military Medicine Training Center in Łódź, Poland, July 27th.
This act added emphasis to the deepening collaboration between the two allies' military medical teams. Earlier in the morning, the Murray, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command surgeon; and Dr. Aurelia Ostrowska, the Polish surgeon general, signed a landmark Combat Medicine Interoperability Memorandum of Agreement.
The Combat Medicine Interoperability MOA establishes the scope, principles, and procedures for both nation's combat medicine professionals to conduct bilateral training activities at two of Poland's premier military medicine facilities: The Military Medicine Training Center in Łódź and the Military Institute of Medicine in Warsaw. The goal is to enable U.S. troops stationed in Poland to conduct collaborative training events at these facilities with their Polish partners in order to reinforce cooperation and gain confidence when operating within multinational teams.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray nails the U.S. Army and Europe crest onto the patch board at the Polish Military Medicine Training Center in Łódź, Poland, 27 July 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. April Benson)
"As a military physician, you work in two professions. One is a profession of arms, and one is a profession of medicine," explained Murray. “In a place like Poland, you are always balancing those two. What is uniquely special is both professions serve in a way that is bigger than our country and ourselves. Having a servant leadership approach to combat medicine creates an essential balance with great partners like the Polish military medical team. It is a very exciting and humbling event."
Interoperability is key to U.S. Army Europe and Africa's vision. This MOA marks a significant milestone in combat medicine training and supports continuous interoperability with Polish allies. The resulting training opportunities will enable U.S. and Polish forces to routinely act together coherently, effectively, and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational, and strategic objectives in support of maneuver operations.
Polish Col. Zygmunt Glogowski, chief of plans in the Department of Military Medicine, Ministry of Defense, described his perspective of Polish-U.S. military medical relationships. The most beneficial way to tie our links and cooperation is to understand how we can cooperate better together in the future." Glogowski said. "I'm really proud that U.S. medical leaders visited our country. I deeply believe this will open a new chapter in our cooperation for medical service."
Following the signing of the MOA, Polish and U.S. senior leaders attended the MILITARY DOCTOR 22 Distinguished Visitor Day. MILITARY DOCTOR is the premier annual Polish military medical field training exercise that functions as the capstone.