Medical Engagement: Beyond the MEDCAP
The term Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) is often utilized as the sum total of the understanding of medical engagements conducted by the medical formations of the US military in the current environment. When utilized, the term MEDCAP quite often brings to mind a team of US military healthcare providers arriving in a remote village, establishing a clinic, and providing acute medical treatment for any and all local villagers within the surrounding area. Although realistic, the limitations inherent in this less than complete understanding of military medical engagements belie the true nature of military medical engagements and the benefits that may be realized by medical operations in support of tactical, operational, and even strategic objectives separate from provision of Health Services Support to eligible beneficiaries. This paper answers the question: Is the way the US military provides Health Services Support via medical engagements with foreign populations the proper and most efficient way US military medical resources can be employed in the current environment? To further frame the understanding, the following question is also answered: How should the US military employ medical resources in order to further US military, and foreign, objectives? The author contends that US military medical resources can be better leveraged to support US foreign policy objectives by looking beyond the current manner of medical engagement with foreign governments and population groups under auspices of security cooperation and Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA) activities. Specifically, medical engagements should be focused on development of fragile states'; capacity for provision of medical services to local populations and, concurrently, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks. US military medical engagements should be designed to improve the health security of populations in fragile states for the long-term. In doing so, the US military must integrate
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