The contingency medical force: chronic challenge, new solution.
To keep pace with the changing requirements of the U.S. Army's combat doctrine, the U.S. Army Medical Department continually modifies its combat health support doctrine and unit organizations. This includes creating more capable, deployable, and mobile units. Unfortunately, as units become more capable, they become less mobile and deployable. As a result, striking a proper balance between capability, mobility, and deployability poses a significant challenge. In 1998, the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital designed a rapidly deployable, air transportable medical module capable of supporting a brigade-sized contingency force (approximately 3,000 personnel) with level or echelon I to III medical care in an austere and ambiguous environment. This module, known as the contingency medical force (CMF), also provides command and control capabilities for this initial medical force and the transition to a more robust health care structure. Conducted over an 8-month period, the design process began with a staff exercise using the deliberate planning process model and culminated in a validation exercise monitored by external observers/controllers at the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Germany. This article describes the planning process, development, and initial deployment of the CMF. The CMF was then deployed on short notice to Albania in support of Task Force Hawk, the Army component of Joint Task Force Noble Anvil.