U.S. Navy Preventive Medicine professionals assigned to Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit Six (NEPMU-6) hosted a Singapore Armed Forces Expeditionary Public Health Team (SAF) to exchange knowledge about U.S. Navy Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit’s (FDPMU) and their employment in operational settings, from July 9th-10th, 2024, on Ford Island, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

LCDR Sarah Bogdanowicz, the Operations Officer for NEPMU-6 stated that the hopes for this partnership was to increase interoperability, strengthen relationships, build regional resiliency, and provide a forum to bring together subject matter experts within the region to discuss Expeditionary Platforms.

The visit, which coincided with the Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC) exercise, was an additional effort to align with Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) allies to defeat the “Tyranny of Distance” and unite militaries across the RIMPAC medical community in a collaborative effort to conquer the challenge posed by remote maritime environments. Through knowledge exchange, innovation and shared expertise, the aim is to strengthen the healthcare capabilities of allied naval forces.

During the knowledge exchange, the SAF team was introduced to NEPMU-6’s microbiology, entomology, environmental and industrial hygiene laboratories and given real time exposure to an FDPMU in a simulated operational environment. Additionally, they attended a FDPMU virtual training overview to discuss component job qualification requirements and review the Operational Readiness Field Exercise with the Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC) Expeditionary Platform leadership.

As part of the knowledge exchange, the NEPMU-6 team received an in-depth brief from SAF preventive medicine specialists that introduced the SAF Force Health Group. The NEPMU-6 team then received an overview of the SAF Force Health Group Biodefence Centre and learned about the public health strategies of the Singapore Armed Forces.

This global health engagement is the beginning of a long-standing partnership between the Singapore Armed Forces, Force Health Group as Navy Medicine seeks innovative solutions to military medical care for the warfighter.

Story originally posted on DVIDS: Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit Six and Singapore Armed Forces Biodefense Team conduct Expeditionary Public Health Subject Matter Exchange during RIMPAC 2024