Relevance through medical adaptation: AFMEDCOM commander visits AFSOC mil-civ partnership at UAB Hospital

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–Special Operations Medicine is unlike any other medical field andrequires lifesaving skills under immense pressure often in remote,austereand hostile environments. To ensure SOF medics areproperly trained,Air Force Special OperationsCommand(AFSOC)fostersa Military-Civilian Partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This partnership was on full displayduringa visitby Lt. Gen. John J. DeGoes,U.S. Air ForceSurgeon GeneralandAir Force Medical Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. James M. Woods,Chief of the Medical Enlisted ForceandAFMEDCOM senior enlisted leader on June 17,2026.

Established in 2006, the partnership between AFSOC and UABHospitalhas grown into a comprehensive medical training platform, preparing both officer and enlistedSpecialOperation Forces (SOF)medical professionals through clinical, rotational, embedded and research programs.

“This is afantasticopportunity for our SOF medics to work side-by-side withcivilian medical professionals inahigh-volumeLevel 1 trauma center,” saidCol Brad Brough,AFSOCCommand Surgeon. “The experiences gained here makes eachSOFmedic more proficientin complex interventionsin ordertosupportUSSOCOMmissions. The experience cannot be overstated.”

Air Force Special Operations medics must meet U.S. Special Operations Commandtraining and operational needs, which is whyAFSOC and UABHospitalhave prioritized "relevance through adaptation," rapidly adapting programs to meetthoseevolvingneeds.

“We have had this partnership for twodecades, offering military personnel the opportunity to grow their skill set in a civilian setting,” saidDr. Jeff Kerby, director of the Trauma and Acute Surgery Division.

Following the tour of UABHospital, AFMEDCOM leadership visited Special Operations Center for Medical Integration and Development(SOCMID). SOCMID is an AFSOC medical training platform that provides advanced skill sustainment for enlisted medical professionals by blending military medical advances withcutting-edgecivilian resuscitative care.

Pararescuemen,Special Operations Independent Duty Medical Technicians,andJointservicepersonnel alltrain at SOCMIDwhich canseeupwards of300 personnel each yearand hostsmultiplecourses annually. Among the courses include clinical rotations thatensureSOF medics in peacetime remain expertly proficient.

“This is a unique platform, one of the fifth largest hospitals in America, as far as volume and complexity, great academic medicine, great facilitiesthat’scontinuing to grow. I see a lot of potential to bring some of our Air Force medics from multiple medical treatment facilities at Air Force bases thataren'tgetting to practice their full spectrum,”saidDeGoes.

UAB Hospitalishome to central Alabama’s only American College of Surgeons verifiedLevel ITrauma Centers. This exposure tohigh-volume civilian trauma, emergency, and surgical unitsensureswhenpeacetime SOFmedics deploy, their first time seeing a catastrophic injury in months is not on a remote battlefield.

“UAB’spurpose is to be clinically excellent,” saidDr. Daniel Cox, UAB trauma medical director and U.S. Air Force Reserve senior medical advisor. “These teams are who you need at a moment’s notice and they can go and do whatever clinical job you need them to do in austere environments”

Impressed by the training,DeGoesstressed theimportance of intentionallyresourcing,developing, and nurturing the AFSOC-UAB partnership.

“I'd like to invest a little more in the cadre that are here now, the staff that are working at UAB, and leading some of the training as student groups come in from AFSOC to prepare them optimally for whatever the special operations community needs,” saidDeGoes.

Remainingmedically operationally ready any place, anytime, anywhere.