The Committee of Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO (COMEDS) is the North Atlantic Alliance's senior medical body, reporting to the NATO Military Committee. It is headed by a chairman, is composed of the Surgeons General of the allied nations and the senior medical advisers within

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's command structure, and meets twice annually in plenary session. Supported by

's integral medical staff and numerous specialized multi-national working groups and panels, COMEDS acts as the central point for the development and coordination of common standards and for providing medical advice to the Military Committee.

History

Since health matters within

were historically regarded strictly as a national responsibility, the alliance did not have a high-level collective medical authority for the first few decades of its existence. With

's increasing emphasis on joint operations came the need for coordinating medical support in peacekeeping, disaster-relief, and humanitarian operations. In 1968, the defence ministers of

's European member states founded EUROGROUP to enhance informal co-ordination with the support of various expert advisory groups (Logistic, Training, Coordination of armaments procurement, etc.). Their chiefs of medical services founded EUROMED in 1970, which the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, and the medical representatives of the major NATO commands soon joined as observers. In December 1992, all EUROGROUP activities were transferred to the

Western European Union The Western European Union (WEU; french: Union de l'Europe occidentale, UEO; german: Westeuropäische Union, WEU) was the international organisation and military alliance that succeeded the Western Union (WU) after the 1954 amendment of the 1948 ...

except EUROMED, which joined

. Military Committee document MC 335 established COMEDS on 22 October 1993, the

North Atlantic Council The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North ...

noted its establishment on 6 December 1993, and its initial terms of reference were authorized on 4 March 1994.

Organization

Composition. COMEDS is composed of the Surgeons General / Chiefs of Military Medical Services of

nations. Other members and observers include: the senior medical advisers of the International Military Staff and of

's strategic commands (

Allied Command Operations Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two strategic commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the other being Allied Command Transformation (ACT). The headquarters and commander of ACO is Supreme Headquarters Allied Powe ...

and

Allied Command Transformation Allied Command Transformation (ACT) (French: ''Commandement allié Transformation'') is a military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed in 2003 after restructuring. It was intended to lead military transformation of ...

); the Surgeons General / Chiefs of Military Medical Services of participating

Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; french: Partenariat pour la paix) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet state ...

Mediterranean Dialogue The Mediterranean Dialogue, first launched in 1994, is a forum of cooperation between NATO and seven countries of the Mediterranean. Its stated aim is "to create good relations and better mutual understanding and confidence throughout the region, pr ...

, and

Istanbul Cooperation Initiative The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) is a NATO initiative that was launched during the organisation's 2004 Istanbul summit. During the summit, NATO leaders decided to elevate the Alliance's Mediterranean Dialogue to a genuine partnership and ...

nations; representatives of the Military Committee;

NATO Standardization Office The NATO Standardization Office (NSO) (former NATO Standardization Agency, NSA; French: ''Bureau OTAN de normalisation'') is a NATO agency created in 1951 to handle standardization activities for NATO. The NSA was formed through the merger of t ...

;

Joint Health Agriculture Food Group; Human Factors and Medicine Panel of the

Science & Technology Organization;

Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine;

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

Military Staff; and Confédération Interalliée des Officiers Médicaux de la Reserve (Interallied Confederation of Medical Reserve Officers). COMEDS may also invite partners from across the globe, non-

troop-contributing nations, and representatives from other organisations. Chairman. Elected by the national Surgeons General of

nations for a three-year term, the Chairman represents their consensus-based views as NATO's top medical officer and principal medical adviser to the Military Committee, the

, and other senior

organizations. Liaison Officer. The Chairman's nation is responsible for providing a senior officer to serve as the COMEDS Liaison Officer to

Headquarters. The Liaison Officer is also the Secretary of COMEDS, its senior staff and executive officer, chair of the COMEDS Steering Group, co-chair of

's Medical Standardization Board, and the COMEDS' point of contact within the

structure and for individual nations. He/she cooperates closely with the medical branches of the International Military Staff,

, and

in developments regarding defence planning, capability development, standardization needs, training and education, and certification. Sub-Groups. To assist in carrying out its tasks, COMEDS has five subordinate working groups and many panels to enhance multi-national inter-operability and to progress the following areas: military medical structures, operations and procedures (including planning and capability development); force health protection; healthcare; standardization;

CBRN Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN defence) are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare (including terrorism) hazards may be present. CBRN defence consi ...

medical issues; emergency medicine; mental health; blood; dental services; medical materiel and pharmacy; food, water safety and veterinary support; medical training; medical naval issues;

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

medical support, and health information systems and technology.

Functions

COMEDS advises the Military Committee on health matters affecting

and serves as its coordinating body for all health-related policies, doctrines, concepts, procedures, techniques, programmes and initiatives. Its objectives include improving and expanding arrangements between member countries for coordination, standardization and interoperability in the medical field, and improving the exchange of information relating to organizational, operational, and procedural aspects of military medical services in

and partner nations. COMEDS also develops new concepts of medical support for operations, with emphasis on multinational health care, modularity of medical treatment facilities, and partnerships. It facilitates the development of medical capabilities in individual nations and helps improve their quality and interoperability.

Award

Since 2011, COMEDS annually bestows the

Dominique-Jean Larrey Baron Dominique Jean Larrey (; 8 July 1766 – 25 July 1842) was a French surgeon and military doctor, who distinguished himself in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. An important innovator in battlefield medicine and triage, h ...

Award as

's highest medical honour. It is awarded in recognition of a significant and lasting contribution to

multi-nationality and/or interoperability, or to improvements in the provision of health care in

missions in the areas of medical support or healthcare development. The award is named after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's famous Surgeon General who introduced several medical and humanitarian innovations for battlefield health care, whose practice of treating all casualties with equal regard and without national distinction preceded the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conve ...

by many decades, and who was admired by

and by the leaders of the allied forces opposing him.Dr. Dominique-Jean Larrey Surgeon-in-Chief of Napoleon's Army. Retrieved on 6 November 2016 from http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/english/LarreyJean.htm

References

{{reflist

External links