YOKOSUKA, Japan -- United States Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (USNMRTC) Yokosuka conducted a large-scale, multi-day, joint-partner exercise in response to a simulated large magnitude earthquake.

The exercise took place May 17-19 at United States Navy Hospital Yokosuka. To simulate the disaster, the exercise sent a significant number of mock casualties to the hospital for triage and treatment over a 3-day period. In addition to the evaluation of medical treatment and delivery, USNMRTC Yokosuka tested its integration with its joint and host-nation partners to deploy critical medical care. The focus of this exercise was to increase emergency preparedness and to test the ability to respond to large-scale disaster events. Exercise participants included Commander Navy Region Japan, Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japanese Self-Defense Force, American Red Cross, International SOS, United States Air Force 374th Medical Group, the 459th Airlift Squadron, BG Crawford F. Sams U.S. Army Health Clinic, and U.S. ARMY Medical Department Activity (MEDDAC)-Japan.

"I believe that the friendship between the US Navy Hospital Yokosuka and the JSDF Hospital Yokosuka is the foundation not only for the development of the two hospitals, but also for the joint protection of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, stated RADM Satoshi Tsukazaki, Commander, Japan Self-Defense Forces Hospital Yokosuka. “We would like to continue to conduct various exercises together to deepen and strengthen the ties between Japan and the United States."

“By conducting these exercises, we are conditioning ourselves to meet the challenges of large-scale disasters while reinforcing our interoperability as joint partners,” said USNMRTC Yokosuka Commanding Officer CAPT T. Blair Hines. “The deployment of critical medical care requires not only organizational readiness but deft execution by our Sailors and staff, I think we have shown that through this integrated training exercise.”

USNMRTC Yokosuka provides healthcare and ensures medical readiness to the largest area in the INDO-PACIFIC, serving over 337,000 operational forces, including Seventh Fleet commands; III Marine Expeditionary Force assigned to mainland Japan; USFK in South Korea; and Military Sealift Command in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. USNMRTC Yokosuka provides a vast array of healthcare to our service-members, families, and Allied Forces from primary and specialty medical care to dental services. USNMRTC Yokosuka leads the AOR with breakthrough performances in healthcare delivery Key Performance Indicators and consistently implements innovative programs to deliver specialty healthcare services efficiently across vast distances.

Public Affairs Points of Contact:
United States Navy Medicine and Readiness Training Command (USNMRTC): Mr. Gabriel Archer, Office: 243-2502, DSN: 315-243-2502, Cell: 080-6784-9065; 080-7661-7583. E-mail: gabriel.a.archer.civ@health.mil