Challenges of Forward Naval Surgical Support for Maritime Forces

The emphasis of naval operations has shifted from conventional naval warfare since World War II to Operations Other than War such as Peace Support Operations and Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief. Maritime forces are increasingly deployed in distant areas of operations such as the Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden for longer durations, in a possibly higher threat environment against nonconventional threats such as in counter piracy operations. There is therefore a need to balance the challenges of providing adequate forward naval surgical support with limitations in medical manpower, logistics as well as the need for a suitable surgical platform for these deployments. This article aims to share the Republic of Singapore Navy's experience in overcoming some of these challenges. This includes the ability to deploy surgical containers onboard the Landing Ship Tank and Civil Resource vessels, and the ability to convert existing spaces onboard the endurance class Landing Ship Tank and other platforms such as the formidable class Frigate into surgical facilities. The key success factors such as the development of deep expertise in naval operational medicine, operationalization of third generation surgical stores, and enhanced interoperability among maritime forces will also be highlighted.