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Theater Medical System 
 
	We built a theater medical system. This meant medical coverage for all Air Force 
beddowns including squadron medical elements (SME), ATHs, a contingency hospital, blood 
transshipment centers, a theater aeromedical system including the Aeromedical 
Evacuation Control Center (AECC), Aeromedical Evacuation Control Elements (AECE), 
MASFs, ASFs, contributing to the Joint Medical Regulating Office (JMRO), and medical 
resupply. This theater medical system was to cover six countries and be responsive to 
Army, Navy, and Marine needs, especially in such vital services as aeromedical 
evacuation and blood transshipment. Our peacetime deliberate planning had provided 
considerable experience to build such a theater system. What capability we lacked at 
the USCENTAF Medical Plans Office was immediately enhanced by both the TAC and MAC 
Surgeon's Offices. During the crisis action phase we prepared no less than ten 
different force packages and TPFDDs to respond. As the force size changed, so too did 
beddowns of aircraft. This was primarily due to Host Nation requirements and wishes in 
accepting certain types of aircraft. In some cases aircraft (and their support tail) 
were literally on final approach to one beddown when they were re-routed to another. 
This caused requirements to change and in many instances because personnel and 
equipment required re-routing, delays of several days or more. Exhausting hours were 
spent in the first ten days refining requirements and coordinating those with TAC and 
MAC for sourcing. An initial aeromedical evacuation (AK) concept of opera 



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