Medical labs

As we prepare for operations against near peer adversaries, it is critical to consider how Army medicine f
the greater joint service environment. Shaping activities are a vital part of this effort. According to the Joint Chiefs
(2017), “The purpose of shaping activities is to help set the conditions for successful execution of the operation” (
A successful operation requires the coordination and cooperation of several distinct entities, both civilian and milit
alike. These entities may also include agencies and departments of the United States government, coalition force
the host nation. Activities associated with shaping are often continuous, sometimes persisting after an operation’s
completion (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2017, pp. V-8-V-9).
In a foreign area of operations, medical laboratory services can often play an important role as one of the ten med
functions identified as part of shaping. In addition to the obvious clinical laboratory support function to aid hospita
laboratory professionals can serve several important roles in shaping. Medical laboratory services may be
underdeveloped or even nearly destroyed by combat operations. Hearts and minds can be won by helping to fill in
gaps in the host nation’s infrastructure, and training their personnel in the latest medical laboratory techniques.
Another important component of the medical laboratory service’s function is that of the Area Medical Laboratory (A
The Department of the Army (2020) describes the AML as “the Army’s specialized theater laboratory that deploys
worldwide…to perform surveillance, analytical laboratory testing, and health hazard assessments of environmenta
occupational, endemic, and CBRN threats in support of Soldier protection and weapons of mass destruction miss
168). The testing capabilities of the AML provide the data that commanders need to make appropriate decisions w
performing shaping activities, whether that be minimizing risks to deployed Soldiers, or confirming that chemical o
biological agents have been deployed by adversaries (Department of the Army, 2020, p. 162).
References:
Joint Chiefs of Staff (2017). Joint Operations (JP 3-0). Retrieved from
https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_0ch1.pdf
Department of the Army (2020). Army Health System Doctrine Smart Book. Retrieved from
https://medicalservicecorps.amedd.army.mil/leader_dev/Army_Health_System_Doctrine_Smart_Book_7February
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