The rehearsal, conducted before Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 26-02, validated cold-weather medical evacuation procedures.
U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Kylee Marshall.
Story by Staff Sgt. Kylee Marshall, 11th Airborne Division
YUKON TRAINING AREA, Alaska- Ahead of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 26-02, U.S. Army medical personnel, assigned to 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter aircrew conducted a medevac (medical evacuation) rehearsal in Alaska designed to validate lifesaving care in one of the Army’s most unforgiving environments. Alaska’s extreme cold-weather conditions present additional considerations for medical treatment and evacuation.
During the exercise, Soldiers treated two simulated casualties replicating injuries associated with maneuver and environmental conditions in the Arctic. Teams conducted triage, treatment and assessment before coordinating an aerial medevac with a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter assigned to Charlie Company Dustoff, 1-52 General Support Aviation Battalion (1-52 GSAB), Arctic Aviation Command. The scenario culminated in an evacuation to Bassett Army Community Hospital on Fort Wainwright, AK.
“Our Role 2 provides an additional level of continuity of care on the ground,” said Capt. Blake Arnold, Commander of the Brigade Support Medical Company. “When a Soldier is injured on the front line, they’re first seen at Role 1. If they need continuous care, they move to Role 2 where we assess, treat and prepare them for evacuation.”
Operating in Arctic conditions adds layers of complexity to trauma care. Medics must aggressively manage hypothermia while balancing speed, precision and limited resources.
“In the Arctic operational domain, hypothermia has to be addressed immediately,” Arnold said. “That means getting patients into warming shelters as fast as possible, minimizing heat loss during treatment, and ensuring all temperature-sensitive medical supplies are ready to go.”
To support those requirements, the medical team employed Arctic-specific tents, warming systems and cold-weather medical equipment. Medical personnel also utilized Hemacool storage systems and tested freeze-dried plasma to maintain blood product viability in sub-zero temperatures.
“The Arctic is unforgiving, and we don’t have time for error,” Arnold said, emphasizing the importance of rehearsal and repetition to facilitate the best possible care as patients move through each level of treatment.
The training ensures medical forces are prepared to support large-scale operations during JPMRC 26-02 and reinforces the division’s ability to provide expeditionary medical care across austere environments.
JPMRC 26-02 is the U.S. Army’s premier Arctic-focused training exercise, running from 9-26 February 2026. It is designed to prepare and validate forces for large-scale combat operations (LSCO) in an extreme cold-weather environment, enhancing readiness and operational capabilities in the strategically vital Arctic region.
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