Photo essay: Mass-casualty exercise near Mosul, Iraq

The following is a photographic essay documenting a mass-casualty training exercise at a U.S. military base in the vicinity of Mosul, Iraq. The U.S. Navy’s Role II medical facility on the base took the lead in the exercise, which focused on a simulated vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack at an entry control point on a new section of the base. A Role II facility is a “forward resuscitative surgery facility” built to treat wounded servicemen and women in the combat zone, similar to a M.A.S.H. hospital from the old television show.

The notional VBIED detonated just outside of the gate, and was followed by subsequent small-arms fire.  The medical unit was presented with 12 victims, with injuries of varying degrees of severity.

At the outset of the simulated attack, the U.S. Army security force on base secured the entry control point, laying down suppressive fire, while Army medics in specialized armored vehicles removed the wounded from the scene, delivering them to the Navy’s Role II facility.

The Role II facility also undertakes exercises focused on joint partnership with French and Iraqi medical units, which augment the Role II; casualty collection point (CCP) manning, equipment, and operations; and evacuation routes and one-way travel along Frank Butler Blvd., ensuring expedited travel during mass-casualty events.

These types of training exercises are critical in fine-tuning the medical response to attacks on U.S. and allied forces’ personnel and facilities.