FORT GREELY, Alaska — Members of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 307th Forward Resuscitative and Surgical Detachment recently conducted annual training during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 25-02 rotation in early 2025.
JPMRC 25-02 is designed to challenge roughly 10,000 joint, multi-component and multinational partners in remote and extreme Arctic winter conditions. The large-scale combat scenarios help refine tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Medical readiness is a critical component of combat effectiveness and JPMRC 25-02 provided an opportunity for the 307th FRSD to spread their knowledge and enhance their capabilities in a harsh environment.
During the exercise, the 307th FRSD augmented with Charlie Company, 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division as a training enabler and allowed surgical capability to Role 2, or advanced medical care.
“This increased the fidelity of the simulated exercise by offering an additional level of patient care. It provided the C-Med team with additional training on patient triage, movement, and high-acuity patient hold scenarios,” said Capt. David Bold, commander of the FRSD.
By simulating real-world casualty scenarios, the 307th FRSD tested and stressed the Role 2 facility while displaying the full spectrum of military healthcare capabilities. Their presence emphasized that “a surgical element is a high functioning and mission capable unit but comes at the cost of being extremely resource heavy,” explained Bold. “The resources required are sourced and provided by C-Med/BSB. Our presence helped to emphasize this fact and provided critical training and education for the support battalion.”
Operating in the Arctic presents challenges beyond combat tactics.
“Being a unit from Wisconsin, we have experience training in the cold, but not to this degree,” Bold admitted. The extreme cold is both a physical and mental drain, impacting movement, equipment functionality, and patient care. For the 307th FRSD, training in Alaska was an invaluable opportunity to prepare for the realities of warfighting in subzero conditions.
“It is important for the FRSD to be here to display various levels of care that military healthcare provides,” said Bold.
The exercise provided ample educational opportunities. The FRSD’s subject matter experts in trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, critical care and anesthesia conducted hands-on training for medics and junior officers. Topics covered included advanced trauma care, airway management, trauma operative care and care for brain-injured patients.
Sgt. Alexandria Schroeder, an operating room specialist shared that her last unit was a hospital augmentation detachment providing Roles 3 and 4 medical care, said, “they deal with more down the line surgery and capabilities. So yeah, this is new to me. The whole being this close to the front lines.”
Schroeder joined the FRSD a few months prior to coming to Alaska and noted the effective training. “It’s definitely a lot of the Army warrior tasks training that we all do but never really implement. So I feel like coming out here, we actually get to implement a lot of those trainings.”
Not only did the FRSD focus on medicine, one of the highlights both Bold and Schroeder mentioned was the cold weather training they received by the 11th Airborne Soldiers before being sent to the notional battlefield.
“I thought that was cool. Learning how to use the snowshoes, setting up those tents and learning how to get the heaters going,” said Schroeder.
Another highlight for Bold was the collaboration between the FRSD and the Role 2 facility, demonstrating the necessity of seamless coordination between echelons of medical care in combat scenarios.
One notable aspect of the exercise was the exclusion of the FRSD from the initial airborne assault at the drop zone. This decision reflected real-world operational considerations, as a surgical element would not typically be deployed ahead of the initial assaulting force.
Instead, the FRSD’s integration into JPMRC 25-02 focused on later-stage battlefield medical support, reinforcing logistical planning and patient evacuation procedures.
As the 307th FRSD refined their ability to provide life-saving care under the harshest conditions, JPMRC 25-02 stands as a testament to the power of deliberate training, adaptability, and joint force collaboration in securing the future of warfare in the world’s coldest and most challenging battlefields.
By SSG Mikayla Fritz
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