Annual Report the Surgeon General United States Army Fiscal Year 1960
COMBAT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Fiscal year 1960 marked the first year of operation of the expanded AMEDS Combat Development Program that was established for the purpose of developing and testing new concepts of doctrine operations, organization, and materiel for field medical units in consonance with the constantly changing concepts of the Army and of future warfare. While this is a long-range program, considerable progress was made during the year toward attaining the preliminary goals, and the AMEDS program was fully integrated into the Army Combat Development System. The prospects of a major breakthrough toward the development of valid concepts appeared to be excellent as the fiscal year ended.
The AMEDS Combat Development Group, working at the Forest Glen Section of WRAMC with the assistance of a group of scientists (Operations Research Incorporated), has proposed organizational and operational concepts for the field medical service of the future. The group is intensively engaged in seeking new concepts for the guidance of the various research and development systems of the Army in developing the materiel that will be required to assist the medical field service in performing its mission-the support of the combat arms in medical care and the evacuation of the sick and injured. It plans and conducts experimentation to assist in the evaluation of organizational, operational, and materiel concepts.
With the active support of DCSLOG, the Commanding General of USCONARC, and the Commanding General of USCDEC (U.S. Combat Development Experimental Center), several concepts of field medical service were tested during the year at the USCDEC field laboratory at Fort Ord, and several broader systems are being programmed for testing there.
Data obtained from these field experiments are evaluated by the AMEDS Combat Development Group and its scientists and by the USCDEC and its group of supporting scientists (Stanford Research
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Institute). Concepts considered to be valid are submitted to The Surgeon General's staff and to the Department of the Army for review and approval. They are then transmitted to the Commanding General, USCONARC, for further refinement of concepts and doctrine and for development of tables of organization and equipment, preparatory to the required action by The Surgeon General and the Department of Army in integrating them into the Army Medical Service. During this phase, The Surgeon General may call upon the Army Medical Service School and the Brooke Army Medical Center for assistance in developing training literature and tables of organization and equipment.
The AMEDS Combat Development Group has established close working relationships with all the other Army combat development agencies and is furnishing them technical support in developing their concepts. More and more combat development studies initiated by other agencies involve review and participation by the AMEDS Combat Development Group.
The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command is providing invaluable assistance to the AMEDS Combat Development Group through its medical research and development of materiel and improved techniques. As a result of the combined and reciprocal efforts of these two groups, The Surgeon General has a balanced, coordinated, and dynamic program to meet his responsibilities as the trustee of the Army Medical Service of the future.
