Training preparation helps avoid missed opportunities Published May 3, 2008 By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe Public Affairs DIVULJE TRAINING BASE, Croatia -- (Editor's note: This article is the first in a series covering training during the Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe 2008.) Planners: the minds behind the scenes, the ones who can determine if everything falls into place or falls apart. Many minds had to come together more than nine months prior to the exercise kick off to ensure the fifteen nations coming together to participate in the Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe 2008 (MEDCEUR 08) received the best training possible. The exercise, scheduled for May 2 through 14, is a U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff regional/multilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and hosted by Croatia this year in the spirit of "Partnership for Peace" (PfP). About 400 multi-nationals are taking part in a joint effort to save more lives through medical-response training and the practical application of that training. The participants and support personnel are staying here just outside Trogir. U.S. Air Force Maj. Paul Puchta of the 86th Expeditionary Contingency Response Group is the chief of International Health Specialist Team. He has been serving as the U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) lead medical planner for MEDCEUR 08 since August 2007. Puchta is responsible for synchronizing the training schedules for all the exercise participants. "I coordinate participation, talk to lead medical planners about their training requirements and make sure the courses provided to them will work in a deployed environment," said Major Puchta, who is deployed here from the 3rd Air Force Surgeon General Theater Security Cooperation, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "We try to teach all of the classes according to NATO standards because coalition forces operate under the NATO flag." The training offered is designed to serve as a pre-emptive medical response tool for the international community. "Students here are learning how to work together so the first time they meet is not when there is a real disaster," said U.S. Air National Guard (ANG) Lt. Col. George Gosting, the 86th Expeditionary Combat Readiness Group. He is the International Health Specialist Liaison to the ANG Surgeons Office. The teachers from these courses come from a variety of countries. Members of the Macedonian military forces are teaching the Combat Life Saver (CLS) course for the second year in a row. "Just knowing how professional the Macedonian teachers are means this is going to be a great experience for the students again this year," Puchta said. Other classes that many Armenian, Azerbaijanis and Ukrainian medical cadets have signed up for are the Cardiac Life Support, Basic Life Support and Self-Aid Buddy Care courses. There is also going to be a medical symposium where partner nations will present lessons learned from deployments in support of disaster responses such as the Balkan Operations, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. There were many factors planners had to consider when planning this exercise. "The primary concerns we had were cultural and language barriers," Puchta said. "Many participants have a good grasp on English; however, we provide Russian translators to help with clarifications since there are a number of former-Soviet Bloc countries here." Since many challenges can arise when forming the training plan for an operation of this size the planners have to continue to be flexible. "One of the largest challenges was getting the changes to the training schedule out," Putcha said. "We need to make sure participants go to the right training. There are times when country planners learn about a course and want to adjust their training." Armenian Army Maj. Manvel Vardangan said he feels the new relationships created here with other countries through learning will bring a number of benefits to everyone through shared knowledge. For Armenian Army 1st Lt. Levon Galstyan making sure his 26 fellow soldiers are in the right classes is very important "I want them in a class that fits that person's specialty," Galstyan said. Depending on a cadet's study year in medial school, they may need to learn about topics ranging from organization to operations in the battlefield. CLS students will spend time learning about the medical profession in the field. Galstyan said he feels everyone will walk away from MEDCEUR with a great experience exchange and improved communication. The hundreds of hours spent planning this has been worthwhile according to Putcha. "To see everyone working together as one team has been rewarding." Gosting and Putcha credit the success of operations and planning so far to the support they have received from their leadership. "We have a strong interest here from USAFE and the ANG," said Gosting, who is deployed here from Andrews Air Force Base, Md. "If it was not for their help we would not have had this success. This is not just a coalition operation, it is a total-force operation."