Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Hawaii National Guard medical partners completed their fourth annual tactical combat casualty care exchange in May 2025 at Camp O’Donnell, Philippines.
The Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP) facilitated the subject matter exchange that helped 85 medical and nonmedical personnel develop critical life-saving skills. The Hawaii National Guard is the Philippines’ SPP partner.
For the first time, the exchange qualified an AFP instructor corps to teach follow-on courses, a move to develop a standardized medical training curriculum.
The training program was tailored to support AFP participants at the Peacekeeping Operations Center, which prepares personnel for United Nations missions.
“This initiative has been greatly enriched by the collaboration between the Peacekeeping Operations School, the Peacekeeping Operations Center and subject matter experts from the Hawaii National Guard through the Joint United States Military Assistance Group-Philippines,” Philippine Army Maj. Gen. Pedro C. Balisi Jr. said “Their invaluable insights and shared commitment to advancing combat casualty care have deepened the training experience, fostering an exchange of best practices that will elevate our operational capabilities to new heights.”
Hawaii National Guard staff first trained 36 AFP nurses and managers as tactical combat casualty care instructors. The curriculum covered hemorrhage control, airway and breathing management, shock recognition, hypothermia prevention, and treatment for eye injuries, fractures, burns and more.
The newly certified AFP instructors then taught 49 members of the AFP’s Quick Reaction Force, including Army Rangers, infantry, artillery units, and combat engineers. The force acquired critical combat life support skills, ensuring readiness for potential peacekeeping and combat deployments. Mass casualty exercises followed each week of training, testing participants’ abilities in combat scenarios.
The field training exercises replicated combat zone stresses, with participants assigned roles as patients, medics, security providers or patient transporters navigating complex terrain.
“One of the most critical lessons [tactical combat casualty care] imparts is conditioning medics to keep treating patients under extreme pressure,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Sanders Sandoval. “In combat, you get one shot to save a life, and that’s the standard we train for — operators who never freeze, who seize every moment to save as many lives as possible.”
By certifying AFP instructors and training the Quick Reaction Force, the exchange strengthened the partnership, fostering trust and advancing readiness for United Nations peacekeeping and regional security, ensuring both forces are prepared to save lives in high-pressure environments.
