Medics, engineers in Mozambique
to practice skills for emergency missions
By Ron Jensen, U.K.
bureau
Maj. Stacee N. Bako / Special to
S&S
Maj. (Dr.) Eric Nelson, left, and Maj. (Dr.) Don Tapper listen to a health care discussion
about Mozambique. |
RAF MILDENHALL, England — About 130 military members, including Air Force medics
and Army engineers, flew to Maputo, Mozambique, this week to begin honing their skills and
building relationships for future humanitarian missions.
Exercise Medflag 01-2, however, started with a few sputters. About 45 medics from the
48th Medical Group at RAF Lakenheath, England, and 11 engineers for the 94th Engineering
Construction Battalion (Heavy) from Grafenwohr, Germany, suffered a brief setback Tuesday
when maintenance problems delayed the arrival of two C-130 aircraft based at Pope Air
Force Base, N.C.
Since then, however, everyone was expected to be in place Wednesday.
The medics will provide medical care to local people, as well as instruct health-care
providers there in emergency care. The engineers will improve a few clinics.
"As it stands now, we’re just going to be working longer hours, but we still
plan to fit everything in that we had planned from the beginning," said Dr. (Lt.
Col.) Michael Panosian, commander of the 48th Medical Expeditionary Squadron.
Meanwhile, the task force headquarters in Maputo met with members of non-governmental
organizations and international relief organizations Tuesday where the military and the
civilian organizations shared information about themselves.
Lt. Col. Mike O’Brien, who oversees the civil-military operations center, said
seven organizations attended the meeting and provided unit mission briefs to the 3rd Air
Force task force. The 3rd Air Force’s area of responsibility includes sub-Sahara
Africa.
Air Force officials encouraged the groups to identify things the Air Force could do
both now and in the future to help in the event of a disaster or some other humanitarian
relief effort, he added.
The 3rd Air Force provided flood relief to Mozambique in spring 2000.
The face-to-face meeting with relief agency representatives gave military members a
better understanding of what is available if, for example, another flood relief effort is
required, O’Brien said.
"These are the people who are here every day working. They know what resources are
here," he said.
"This makes the learning curve [for the military] less steep when we have to
respond in a real situation."
Relief agency folks said the meeting provided them with the same benefit.
Anthea Spinks of World Vision said the relief agencies now have a better understanding
of how the military works and what assistance it can provide.
Nigel Ede of Action Aid said the military’s resources and command and control
greatly boost the efficiency of a relief effort.
The exercise, which ends Aug. 4, is designed to give Air Force members a better
understanding of what they will encounter if such a mission pops up again.
"We had a lot of people come down this year who have not had the background in the
kind of things the 3rd Air Force trains for daily," O’Brien said.
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