U.S. Navy Embarks Expeditionary Medical Unit aboard USNS Cody for Test and Evaluation

U.S. Navy Embarks Expeditionary Medical Unit aboard USNS Cody for Test and Evaluation

By Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) Public Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Navy is embarking the first Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU), a cutting-edge medical support system with personnel from EMU-1 designed to provide Role 2 (R2) level healthcare services both afloat and ashore, aboard the expeditionary fast transport USNS Cody (T-EPF 14) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, July 15-26. EMUs will enhance medical support in various military and humanitarian missions, ensuring comprehensive care from the sea to the shore.

EMUs extend the Navy's R2 care capabilities currently aboard amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers to smaller ships and vessels. It offers a broad spectrum of medical and healthcare services such as biomedical repair, command and control, information technology, sterile supply, medical operations, and patient decontamination provided by medical support personnel.

"The mission of the EMU is to deliver R2 healthcare services with versatile surgeries, intensive care unit, acute care ward, radiology, pharmacy, laboratory, dental service, and combat operational stress control," said Capt. Jonathan Haase, program manager of the Expeditionary Missions program office. "EMUs are strategically equipped to receive patients from afloat platforms, directly from combat areas to provide patient holding, patient movement, and prolonged field care, based on injury severity and EMU's specific mission for the Navy."

As an embarked mission, EMUs are designed to be moveable and transportable, allowing for flexibility in deployment across various naval platforms.

"The EMU onboard the USNS Cody is crucial because it provides a mantle for agile and enhanced surgical intervention," said Mabinty Chapman, deputy assistant program manager of the Expeditionary Missions program office and retired chief medical corpsman. "The union of dexterity and military medicine is embedded in our Navy's newest vessel, fulfilling the future standard of damage control surgical care in a distributed maritime environment."

The equipment for EMUs is contained within ten 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which facilitates the storage and transport of both the authorized medical allowance list and dental allowance list items. These primarily commercial off-the-shelf items are protected by environmental control systems when at sea, ensuring their readiness and functionally across the spectrum of warfare during naval operations.

"The Navy is dedicated to maintaining peace and security through diverse missions, from combat operations to humanitarian assistance," concluded Haase. "With the introductions of the EMU, the Navy will continue its commitment to providing exceptional medical care and support to service members and affected communities worldwide."

PEO USC designs, develops, builds, maintains and modernizes the Navy's unmanned maritime systems; mine warfare systems; special warfare systems; expeditionary warfare systems; and small surface combatants.