Delivering Healthcare to the Armed Forces (PDF 88 KB)

A Protocol for Ensuring Equitable Access to Health and Social Care Services

A survey on the enlistment of pharmacists in a hospital battalion of the Swiss Armed Forces

Background: Pharmacists, mainly militiamen, are incorporated in the Swiss Armed Forces, for instance in hospital battalions to supply drugs and medical devices, as well as to coordinate hygiene service. Presently, their duties are only very globally defined. Aims: The objective of this survey was to investigate the tasks that were actually assumed by the military pharmacy of the 2nd Hospital Battalion. Methods: Two types of commitments, offering military and civilian interest's convergence, were considered between 2005 and 2011: (1) army camps for the disabled and (2) operations and supports provided to two nursing homes. While relieving the civil caregiver usually involved with disabled or elderly people, such missions offer indeed the possibility to the army medical service to train its care and logistical processes with real patients, even in the absence of any sanitary crisis or war in the country. Results: Two basis activities have been assumed: (1) centralized supply of drugs and medical devices and (2) coordination of hygiene monitoring and disinfection operations. New tasks were also performed: (3) support to the management of ward-based pharmacies, (4) pillboxes preparation, (5) medication review and (6) selective participation in clinical rounds. The last two were integrated in an interdisciplinary education process. Conclusions: Results shows that, apart from traditional duties, new clinical-oriented activities have been evenly developed and assumed by militia pharmacists. They call thus for a possible renewed definition of the tasks of military hospital pharmacists and of their related military education. A wider study in all hospital battalions is yet mandatory.

Hybrid warfare – just a twist of compound warfare? : views on warfare from the United States Armed Forces perspective

The wars the Western armies are involved with today are different from those that were fought in the end of 20th century. To explain this change, the Western military thinkers have come up with various different types of definitions of warfare over the last 30 years, each describing the tendencies involved in the conflicts of the time. The changing nature of conflicts surfaced a new term – hybrid warfare. The term was to describe and explain the multi-modality and complexity of modern day conflict. This thesis seeks the answer for the question: what is the development of thought behind hybrid warfare? In this thesis the Vietnam War (1965-1975) is used as an example of compound warfare focusing on the American involvement in the war. The Second Lebanon War (2006) serves as an example of hybrid warfare. Both case studies include an irregular opposing force, namely National Liberation Front in Vietnam War and Hezbollah in the Second Lebanon War. These two case studies are compared with the term full spectrum operations introduced in the current U.S. Department of Army Field Manual No. 3-0 Operations to see the differences and similarities of each term. The perspective of this thesis is the American point of view. This thesis concludes that hybrid warfare, compound warfare and full spectrum operations are very similar. The first two terms are included in the last one. Although hybrid warfare is not officially defined, it will most likely remain to be used in the discussion in the future, since hybrid wars and hybrid threats are officially accepted terms.

Hezbollah and Taliban - hybrid adversaries in contemporary conflicts? : views on an adversary from the United States Armed Forces perspective

The experiences of the United States Armed Forces of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel Defense Forces in the Second Lebanon War resulted a new term to surface called “hybrid warfare”. It was to describe the complexity of today’s battlefield. The term “hy-brid warfare” was never officially defined nor is it today. The updated version of the US ARMY Field Manual 3-0: Operations (Change 1) from February 22, 2011, introduced and defined “hybrid threat” and thus opened the discussion for hybrid adversary. In this thesis a model is introduced according to which any organization, group or an ad-versary can be examined and evaluated to see whether it qualifies as a hybrid adversary. It is demonstrated by the example of Hezbollah, which is recognized as the best example of an organization utilizing “hybrid warfare” and subsequently categorizing as a hybrid adver-sary. The model will be tested with Afghan Taliban to see whether both the model works and Taliban qualifies as a hybrid adversary or not. According to the model used in this thesis, it is concluded that Taliban does not meet the standards of a hybrid adversary, but with acquisition of standoff weapons it would quickly qualify as one. The model proved to work, and it could be used as a tool by intelligence of-ficers for estimating the threat levels of any group or identifying those groups that are al-ready or are about to develop into a hybrid adversary.