Page 8 - NATO Supplement

6 n Journal of Special Operations NATO Supplement: HFM-224 Technical Proceedings

while providing cost savings to participating 2.0 IntroductIon:
nations. nAto operAtIonAl context
n Nations seeking to purchase similar combat
medical simulators or invest in simulation NATO’s ever increasing requirement to meet
technology can coordinate through procure- asymmetric threats and the expected ongoing
ment agencies like the NATO Support International Security Force Afghanistan (ISAF)
Agency or U.S. Program Executive Office for partnering mission have caused nations to refine
Simulation Training and Research Integra- and reinvent how to execute Special Operations
tion (PEO STRI) foreign military program to missions. These operational demands are forcing
execute bulk purchases that increase buying senior leaders to consider how to best resource
power and lower unit purchase prices. and train their SOF as well as their enablers to
n Numerous types of simulator modalities ex- ensure the precise, flexible, agile, and speedy re-
ist. At present, there is no single simulation sponse options these forces provide to decision
product that meets all SOF medical training makers. The demanding SOF environment, char-
objectives. SOF training programs should acterized by austere clandestine conditions, with
use a combination of simulators, live models, missions of strategic importance, requires not
manikins, task trainers, or standardized actors only the best-prepared and resourced Operators
that best meet training objectives. but also enablers that can meet these demands.
n Additional research is required and ongoing The NATO Special Operations Headquarters
to determine the validity of various simula- (NSHQ) was created to help the Alliance build
tors in skill attainment, performance, and pa- and refine its SOF capabilities, improve national
tient outcome measurement. interoperability, and serve as a point of SOF ex-
n Current simulator technology has not pro- pertise. NSHQ sponsored the HFM-224 Re-
gressed to the point of effectively replacing search Workshop “Training NATO Special Forces
live tissue models for essential skills required Medical Personnel: Opportunities in Technology-
of SOF medical providers. enabled Training Systems for Skill Acquisition
and Maintenance” to explore technology require-
The NSHQ’s SOF Allied Centre for Medical Ed- ments for optimizing training the NATO Special
ucation (ACME), scheduled to open its doors in Operations Combat Medic (NSOCM).
summer 2013, will be a primary source for Alli-
ance SOF combat medical simulation expertise n 2.1 Research Workshop
to augment national training programs. Organization and Participation
HFM-224 was unique because it partnered a
These proceedings are organized into the Execu- NATO Allied Command Operations (ACO) op-
tive Summary (section 1.0), an introduction by erational headquarters, NSHQ, with the NATO
the RWS co-chairs (section 2.0), the independent Research and Technology Organization’s (RTO)
advisor’s report summarizing the presenters’ key (now called the Science and Technology Orga-
points and subsequent joint panel discussions nization [STO]) Human Factors and Medicine
(section 3.0), a co-chair summary and conclusions (HFM) Panel. The workshop proceedings are
(section 4.0), and appendices authored by the not only official NATO recommendations but
presenters, which contain the in-depth original also recommendations to NSHQ for inclusion
contributions by workshop participants (section in SOF doctrine. Program committee members
5.0). from Germany, Estonia, the United Kingdom,