Sofia – The US Army, Tennessee National Guard, and US Air Forces Europe performed a training exercise with Bulgarian armed forces. The Bulgarian Armed Forces showed off their combat lifesaving skills to the US Ambassador, Ms Herro Mustafa. The event between the Bulgarian and US Armed Forces highlights the importance of medical interoperability can save lives on the Battlefield.
The training exercise between US and Bulgarian armed forces was organised at the Medical Simulation Center, which was recently opened at the end of 2021. It enables Bulgarian soldiers to train critical combat medicine skills.
This lifesaving course trains about twenty students monthly and expects to start combat paramedic courses for more advanced combat medical training.
General Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, Chief Doctor of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, said, “We have excellent military hospitals with highly experienced staff and the military medical academies, but the wounded soldier must arrive at the hospital alive. The only objective behind creating this centre is to be prepared for the first ten minutes”.
The US army colonel, Mr Keith Evans, Commander of Tennessee Readiness Detachment, has been working with the Bulgarian military since 2018. He contributed to the development of the CLS curriculum and helped to facilitate the construction of the simulation centre.
Evans said, “We initially are the only ones who come overseas to teach Bulgarian soldiers the CLS course before deployment. We also decided to start a combat lifesaver syllabus so the Bulgarian military could start teaching it by themselves. We started with the combat lifesaver course and the simulation centre at the very same time. The centre opened in September of 2021, where they can do the physical training and keep everyone compatible, whether it be Army, Air Force, or Navy. All of their paramedics can train to the same levels.”
During the exercise, the Bulgarian military simulated and treated an injury and conveyed him to the aid station. The US ambassador Mustafa praised the Bulgarian army and said, “it is one of the best things I saw in our long partnership”.
He also said we could make Bulgaria a strong NATO ally who further supports NATO missions.