RAF Brize Norton News

4626 AEROMEDICAL EVACUATION SQUADRON WORK ALONGSIDE U.S. AIR FORCE COLLEAGUES

In July 2019, Number 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) Squadron hosted a team of Reserve Citizen Airmen from Joint Base Charleston's 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron for an event focused on sharing aeromedical evacuation skills and expertise for each other’s mutual benefit at RAF Brize Norton.

Number 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Work Alongside U.S. Air Force Colleagues

Number 4626 Squadron and the 315th AES continue to cultivate their relationship for preserving interoperability - that is, to be able for both organisations to effectively aeromedical evacuate patients belonging to either country in the event that a patient needs medical care that exceeds what can be provided at their location.

Number 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Work Alongside U.S. Air Force Colleagues

Working together for each other’s mutual benefit, the personnel focused on the sharing of key AE skills, as well as using each other’s leadership and teamwork experiences for the common interest of both units, it provided an especially unique opportunity for members to also discuss how they could use the training in their civilian careers.

"The leadership exercises that we've been involved in this weekend are very valuable to our Reservists, they are great skills that we can take from our RAF training back into our civilian roles, and they also foster the ongoing relationship with the U.S. Air Force."

Flight Lieutenant James Iddon
No. 4626 AE Squadron

Number 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Work Alongside U.S. Air Force Colleagues

The reason for the ongoing affiliation is so that in time of need, medical evacuation components of both nations' air forces can evacuate patients to higher-echelon medical care.

"The relationship between 4626 Squadron and the 315th Airlift Wing has developed over a long period of time. It's important to the Squadron that we develop these skills together and look toward the future interoperability of our personnel. Having these skill sets means that in the future we have really solid building blocks to work on."

Flight Lieutenant James Iddon
No. 4626 AE Squadron

Wing Commander Graham Banks, Officer Commanding 4626 AE Squadron, provided 315th members with a tour of the Squadron facilities to discuss their capabilities before members participated in combined physical training, team building activities, and a leadership presentation led by professional speaker and former RAF member Al Sylvester.

Number 4626 (County of Wiltshire) Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Work Alongside U.S. Air Force Colleagues

The units have another similarity in that, while they can operate on multiple aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III serves as a common platform for medevacs both within and out of theater.

"We have a very segmented part of the AE mission - fixed wing aeromedical evacuation. This unit does everything from level one, all the way up to getting patients through the aeromedical staging facility, so we get to learn about these other pieces that we may need to do down the road."

Major Lee Knoell
Medical Service Corps Officer
315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron

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