US Military’s Largest Preeminent Medical Training Exercise

The Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, multi-national partners, sister services, and multiple units across the U.S. Army conducted a Joint Emergency Medicine Exercise 2024 (JEMX 2024) from 2-7 June 2024.

JEMX 2024 included personnel from the United States Army, Navy, Airforce, Netherlands Royal Army and the United Arab Emirates Army to train medical personnel in realistic combat casualty care scenarios for both humans and canines. The exercise increased unit and individual combat readiness, allowed participants to share medical knowledge, and fostered familiarity in joint medical operations.

“JEMX gives us a fair look at the totality of healthcare on the battlefield,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jamie Culbreath, the Medical Readiness battalion commander at Fort Cavazos. “When we go into a large-scale combat operation or high intensity conflict, this is the best training exercise to provide that simulated environment for our medical professionals.”

JEMX 2024 allowed personnel to work together in diverse teams alongside multi-national partners and personnel from their sister services, while incorporating a wide variety of field training exercises.

The training incorporated many different medical conditions including helicopter evacuation, multi-level field hospital scenarios, tactical combat casualty care, military working dog first responder training, and much more.

Interoperability of different U.S. military branches and allied nations was a constant focus during JEMX2024.

One theme JEMX 2024 stressed is the differences in which military medicine was conducted in counter-insurgency operations and how current systems have adapted to large-scale combat operations.

In past conflicts, military branches and nations worked independently; on the ever-changing battlefield medical personnel must work together. The aim of medical staff has shifted from quick transportation to medical personnel now being trained to treat a casualty for hours or days before being transported to a hospital.

As medical needs evolve, so does medical training like JEMX 2024. Residents, physician assistants, nurses, and combat medics are all learning through this training exercise how they can improve their craft, and in turn bring lessons-learned to their home units.