Taipei Reserve Brigade Conducts Combat Casualty Care Drill During Han Kuang Exercise

As part of the ongoing "Han Kuang 42" live-fire exercise, Taiwan's military conducted a realistic combat casualty care drill at National Taipei University's Tianmu Campus. The exercise focused on validating the medical response capabilities of reserve soldiers.

The drill simulated a battlefield scenario where a platoon of enemy forces engaged a company of Taiwanese troops, resulting in casualties. Following the suppression of the simulated threat, soldiers practiced self-aid and buddy care before moving casualties to a collection point for triage and further treatment.

A notable aspect of the exercise was the involvement of a reserve officer who, despite his primary military specialty as a rifleman, serves as a specialist physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. His medical expertise was utilized in the critical "triage and classification" phase at the casualty collection point.

Instructors emphasized the paramount importance of rescuer safety in combat medicine, noting that attempting rescue without neutralizing enemy threats only increases the number of casualties. The drill meticulously followed procedures from initial self-rescue and buddy aid to collection point assessment, tactical field care, and eventual evacuation by ambulance.

The exercise also simulated delays in medical evacuation, testing the reserve unit's ability to maintain casualty care and stabilize patients while awaiting transport. This phase underscored the challenges of battlefield logistics and the need for sustained medical support even when immediate evacuation is not possible. The process concluded with a handover to medical personnel at the evacuation point, ensuring seamless information transfer to hospitals.

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The primary principle of battlefield rescue is still to ensure the safety of the rescue personnel themselves. If the enemy threat has not been lifted, rushing into rescue will only increase more casualties.