Modern warfare spurs demand for new medical techniques
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s health system and the changing nature of warfare have prompted innovative ways to protect wounded soldiers on the battlefield.
From drone injuries and evacuations to fears of chemical, biological, nuclear or radiation attacks, there’s a major need for new technology and techniques to better support fighters — and citizens — caught in modern war zones.
Although banned under international law, attacks on health care facilities have become commonplace. The Kremlin has attacked health care facilities more than 3,000 times since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to World Health Organization data — and it continues to destroy critical health supplies.
In addition, double tap strikes — when a second attack is launched against people going to help those injured in the first — have also increased the risks health care personnel face on the battlefield.
These new warfare tactics serve to psychologically break those fighting to protect Ukraine, former U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell said. “To completely break down the society, you get rid of the energy and then the health care,” said Luttrell, a former Navy medic.
With attacks on health care services, he believes there is now a critical need to give all military personnel basic medical training before being deployed. “Anytime anybody gets hurt, if you're not trained in medicine, you panic,” he added.
This is where cutting-edge technology like the ReadyMed Europe project comes in. Latvian company Exonicus R&D is co-ordinating the €10 million project, which works with companies from eight European countries to build virtual reality health care training that can be deployed rapidly and at scale to train up medical personnel and prepare for medical evacuations.
The virtual reality headsets, integrated with AI feedback to instantly assess procedures performed on mannequins, help users role-play new battlefield scenarios as the dynamics of warfare change.
“Ukraine showed that all service members may have to stay with the casualty for days, which totally changes the training content that needs to be provided,” Exonicus R&D Director Liga Ellere said.
Training up civilians and first responders like police and firefighters was also important “because we know from Ukraine the first responders are targets,” she said.
Meanwhile, the increasing use of drones has also changed treatment priorities as the upper part of the body tends to experience more trauma from these attacks, she said.
Other new technologies in today’s warfare include unmanned vehicles used to rescue injured personnel at night, when it’s too dangerous to send people to help.
With Russia’s war in Ukraine on Europe’s doorstep, the EU has pivoted to focus on better preparation for any eventuality. This ranges from Commissioner Hadja Lahbib’s Preparedness Strategy (including a 72-hour survival grab bag), to boosting funding for defense projects, including for medical support.
Plans include a stocktake of drugs and vaccines to counter health crises. That might be a plague outbreak, a chemical attack, the next viral pandemic or a nuclear disaster. But the European Medicines Agency says that while the medical countermeasures strategy is needed, it’s not attracting developers.
The organization is “doing its best,” trying to connect with developers worldwide, but “there is not much development going on,” said Marco Cavaleri, head of public health threats at EMA, last week. That leaves “few options available against some of the potential biological threats.”
The main issue, he said, is funding.
“If these products don’t get funding, and people are not really putting money into developing new vaccines or new therapeutics for the emergencies of tomorrow, we will not have much to discuss,” he told journalists at the agency’s office in Amsterdam this week.
Europe should create “the right incentives for industry to develop medical countermeasures,” he added.
A European Commission spokesperson said it invested €220 million into defense medical support and response and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear and biotech projects from the European Defence Fund in 2021, and €1.6 billion to establish strategic stockpiles of medical countermeasures under rescEU, the strategic reserve of European disaster response capabilities and stockpiles.
The Commission helps to ensure “reliable demand and long-term investment for medical countermeasures that are essential for security and defence and that may not be commercially viable under normal market conditions,” the spokesperson added.
