Annual Report the Surgeon General United States Army Fiscal Year 1959
COMBAT DEVELOPMENT
It became increasingly obvious during the early months of the fiscal year that the AMEDS organization for combat development was not sufficiently staffed to provide the dynamic program necessary for determining, developing, and integrating new doctrine, operational concepts, organization, and materiel into field medical units. Studies conducted to determine the optimum organization needed indicated that the combat development program would have to be divorced from routine day-to-day operations and that considerable personnel augmentation would be necessary if the desired results were to be attained. After a careful study of many proposals, The Surgeon General decided to appoint a Special Assistant for Combat Development, to provide him with a small staff for coordinating and monitoring the AMEDS Combat Development Program, and to organize an AMEDS Combat Development Group as a class II activity.
On 6 April 1959, Col. James P. Pappas, the Special Assistant to The Surgeon General for Combat Development, assumed full responsibility for the Army Medical Service program. As the fiscal year drew to a close, the AMEDS Combat Development Group was activated at the Forest Glen Section, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Its initial authorized strength is 24 (4 MC officers, 11 MSC officers, 1 master sergeant, and 8 civilians).
Under the direction of the new Special Assistant to The Surgeon General, the AMEDS Combat Development Program will be coordinated with that of DCSLOG, USCONARC, and other Army combat development agencies.
