1. Committee of the Chiefs of
Military Medical Services in NATO
The military medical community
within NATO and
its multinational challenges
Col Wynand Korterink (NLD-A)
COMEDS Liaison Officer
NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium
+32-2-707 9862
korterink.wynand@hq.nato.int

2. UNCLASSIFIED

3. What is NATO
What is COMEDS
What are the challenges
UNCLASSIFIED

4. The global village

5. Unclassified

7. UNCLASSIFIED

8. What is NATO
NAC
Military Committee
Research and
Technology
Agency
ACT
ACO
IMS
med
med
Civil
Emergency
Planning
med
HFM
Public health
COMEDS
NATO
Standardisation
Agency
CIOMRReserve officers
UNCLASSIFIED
NATO EAPC/UNCLASSIFIED

9. COMEDS Organization 01-01- 2010
MILITARY COMMITTEE
COMEDS
Military Medical Steering Group
Working
Groups
Force Health
Force Health
Protection
Protection
Mil. Health
Mil. Health
Care
Care
MT
Expert
Panels
EM
Structures
Structures
Operations
Operations
Procedures
Procedures
FWSVS
DS
Medical
Medical
CBRN
CBRN
MedCIS
MMMP
MMH
MedN
BIOMEDAC
Medical
Medical
Standardization
Standardization
SGPME
MedInt

10. http://nsa.nato.int
NATO EAPC/UNCLASSIFIED

11. NATO EAPC/UNCLASSIFIED

12. Operational Overview
NATO Operationsoverview
KFOR
Balkans
Defense
Reform
Air Policing
Support to
EU
Op Althea
Operation
ACTIVE
ENDEAVOR
NATO Support to the
African Union
NATO
Training
Mission Iraq
ISAF
Operation
OCEAN SHIELD
12

13. Chinese ship Peace of Arc (?) Arc
Chinese hospital ship Peace
13

14. CHALLENGES -1
• Compatibility of equipment
• Interoperability of medical support structures
(material as well as medical personnel)
• Acceptability of procedures and quality and
standards of medical care available,
• Credentialing and certification
• Doctrine
• Communication (language, culture)
• Information exchange
• Medical Intelligence
UNCLASSIFIED

15. Info Exchange Issues
• Security
– Current NATO standards
– Network Enabled Capabilities will influence future
requirements
• Confidentiality of patient info
– Differing national standards
• De-identification of data
– Track med info using minimal personal info
– Reporting by one nation, retrieving by another
UNCLASSIFIED

16. CHALLENGES -2
• Increasing effectiveness: integration of medical assets
• Optimisation of the use of medical resources
through coordination, combined purchasing
• Mitigation of Medical Shortfalls
• Shift from whole national treatment facilities to combined
capabilities in a Multinational treatment facility,
and capabilities based modular approach
UNCLASSIFIED

17. CHALLENGES -3
• Recruitment and retention of medical personnel
UNCLASSIFIED

18. Medical Multinationality and
Interaction with Ios and NGOs
•
UNCLASSIFIED

19. Committee of the Chiefs of
Military Medical Services in NATO
Col Wynand Korterink
COMEDS Liaison Officer
NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium
+32-2-707 9862
korterink.wynand@hq.nato.int