Putting the Puzzle Together: A Proposal for a Comprehensive Study of the Military Medical Management of Nuclear Casualties

Abstract : This document proposes a study to assess the capabilities of the U.S. military health care system to meet the medical management requirements that would result from the use of a nuclear weapon against U.S. military forces in a foreign theater of war. The proposed study would provide policy makers and planners with recommendations to address shortfalls and utilize the optimum strategies for the management of nuclear casualties. The study concept is to identify both the required and available capabilities to manage the patient stream resulting from a nuclear attack, to determine at what point the required capabilities exceed those available, and to quantify and narrow the gap between the two cases. Capability includes both medical resources (e.g., supplies, equipment, and personnel) and the processes by which those resources are brought to bear. The study plan considers medical management capabilities to include, at minimum, those needed for the collection, evacuation, decontamination, triage, stabilization, and treatment of casualties, as well as the associated medical logistics.