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INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SERVICES
Last Updated: 12 November 2019
The Air Force medical forces provide seamless health service support to the Air Force
and the joint force. They also assist in sustaining the performance, health, and fitness of
every Airman at home station and while deployed within the continental United States
(CONUS) or outside the CONUS (OCONUS) in support of global operations. This
capability is summarized by the phrase “global medical readiness,” which includes the
full spectrum of medical operations, including expeditionary deployment operations,
humanitarian assistance, all-hazards response, and global health engagement to
support building partnerships and stability operations. Components of this global system
are fully integrated, with forward-deployed health services, and en route care to facilities
providing comprehensive, definitive medical specialty care. As we continuously improve
our medical capabilities and capacities, our ability to revolutionize health services and
incorporate new concepts and technologies will identify the new best practices that
shape future health service support. The range of military operations, from peacetime
through large-scale combat operations, is always a consideration when determining the
best practices for our Air Force; consideration of peer and near-peer competition is a
continuing necessity for doctrine as the Air Force supports the joint fight. Every Airman
is an innovator and is integral to this continuous development process – we must all
connect, share, and learn together to succeed.
Air Force Health Services
The Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) ensures medically fit forces, provides
expeditionary medics and improves the health of all we serve to meet our Nation’s
needs. First, Air Force health services are focused on life-saving expeditionary medical
support. They ensure rapid casualty stabilization, treatment, staging, and evacuation to
definitive care, while maintaining the standard of care and providing en route patient
safety. Air Force medical forces leverage speed, range, and flexibility by using hub and
spoke operations to quickly form and maneuver customized medical capabilities to
forward operating sites. Intertheater air mobility forces move cargo and personnel to
arrive at an enduring location (hub) within a theater. Intratheater air mobility forces then
move the cargo and personnel to contingency locations (spokes) in the theater. Before
placing medical teams at airlift hubs, medical planners should consider the feasibility of
the airlift web supporting the established hub and spoke operations. See Fundamentals
AIR FORCE DOCTRINE PUBLICATION (AFDP) 4-02
HEALTH SERVICES
