Knowledge gained in battle is often lost — if it is not consistently implemented throughout the military, according to the report. The military didn’t standardize World War II knowledge on tourniquets, morphine and blood products, leaving the military unprepared for amputations and other wounds from roadside bombs, according to the report. In fact, The Wall Street Journal cited a study that found almost 25 percent of the casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq could have been prevented if those soldiers had received better treatment in the field.
Now after 14 years at war, the military was able to generate unprecedented survival rates, and physicians are saying the Pentagon needs to institutionalize those practices, or we will lose them, according to the report.
“The work to institutionalize tactical combat-casualty care is underway, ensuring that when U.S. service members again go into harm’s way, the medics, corpsmen, pararescuemen and other professionals supporting them are fully prepared and trained with the most current battlefield trauma techniques,” David Smith, MD, deputy assistant secretary for health readiness policy and oversight for the Defense Department told The Wall Street Journal in a statement.
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