Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is a vital military treatment facility that is part of Medical Readiness Command, Europe and Defense Health Network Europe significantly contributed to advancing Global Health Engagement initiatives throughout 2024. These efforts directly aligned with U.S. Army Medical Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa and serves as the enabling organization that operationalizes requirements for U.S. Africa Command and U.S. European Command driving security cooperation decisions. Through strategic partnerships, training exchanges, and exercises with partner and host nations, LRMC continues to enhance global health readiness, interoperability, and health diplomacy.

“As Global Health Engagement director at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, my priority is to foster partnerships that strengthen medical readiness and health diplomacy,” said Col. (Dr.) Claude Burnett. “By cultivating strong alliances, we ensure our collective medical readiness and response to global health challenges.”

One of LRMC’s most impactful contributions in 2024 was its leadership in MEDREX-24, a medical readiness exercise in Accra, Ghana, conducted alongside the 37th Ghanaian Military Hospital, Public Health Command Europe, Defense Health Network - Europe, and the North Dakota National Guard. MEDREX-24 focused on the readiness of U.S. forces in such areas as trauma care, infectious disease management, and medical logistics as well as strengthening the Ghanaian Armed Forces’ medical capabilities. This collaboration reinforced AFRICOM’s commitment to health diplomacy and deepened mutual trust between U.S. and Ghanaian forces. 

In Algeria, LRMC facilitated Key Leader and Subject Matter Expert Exchanges with the Algerian military, emphasizing infectious disease management and healthcare system administration. These engagements, conducted with Southern European Task Force-Africa and AFRICOM, underscored military medicine’s role in promoting regional security and stability. Similar efforts in Angola expanded medical crisis management expertise through an SMEE with Angolan Military Medical Services, in coordination with AFRICOM’s Global Health Engagement Office. 

In Europe, LRMC played a central role in advancing NATO and EUCOM health readiness goals. During the CAMO 24 military exercise in Sweden, LRMC provided tactical medical expertise that bolstered NATO interoperability in complex operational environments. In Lithuania, LRMC partnered with the Lithuanian Medical Simulation Training Center to deliver advanced simulation-based training, preparing personnel to meet NATO medical standards. In Sweden, LRMC’s participation in the Baby Yoda Exercise with the Swedish Armed Forces’ 25th Air Force Ranger Company enhanced readiness for austere and unconventional warfare scenarios, with a focus on tactical medical support. 

At its home station in the Federal Republic of Germany, LRMC strengthened ties with local institutions, including the Bundeswehr Military Hospital in Koblenz. The discussions and plans to revive the observational rotations in trauma surgery and critical care nursing will promote professional knowledge-sharing with the Bundeswehr and bolster overall regional NATO collaboration. LRMC also hosted several high-profile familiarization visits in 2024, including engagements with the Moroccan Armed Forces, the Norwegian Air Force Medical Team, and the French Ophthalmology Delegation. These events highlighted U.S. medical expertise and reinforced NATO’s collective medical capacity. 

Through its robust global engagements and local partnerships, LRMC demonstrated its indispensable role in enhancing medical readiness, capacity building, and health diplomacy. Its efforts have directly supported Combatant Command and Army Service Command objectives, fostering trust and cooperation with Allies, Partner Nations, and host-nation communities. 

As LRMC continues to innovate and lead in military healthcare, it serves as a model for advancing health engagements that strengthen alliances, build capacity, and save lives—highlighting the critical role of health diplomacy in global stability and readiness. 

“By sharing its medical expertise across the theater, the U.S. builds trust and fosters cooperation with Allied and Partner nations,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Roger Giraud, commander of Medical Readiness Command, Europe and director of Defense Health Network Europe. “This collaboration enhances regional stability, promotes mutual understanding, and helps accelerate alliance and partner integration into an integrated, combined health system. Effective health diplomacy also facilitates the exchange of best practices, and improves our ability to react to crisis, opportunities, and conflict. The relationships we build increase our ability to combat global health threats by understanding the capabilities of our respective medical forces and potential threats. Ultimately, it reinforces U.S. commitment to regional security and stability, while saving lives and improving the well-being of communities across Europe and Africa. In short, partnerships are strengthened through cooperation.”