The 459th Airlift Squadron, 374th Medical Group and Naval Hospital Yokosuka collaborated for casualty evacuation training at Yokota Air Base, Feb. 20.

The 459th AS has a working agreement with the 374th MDG to provide emergency airlift support via UH-1N Huey during certain medical situations. The CASEVAC training was designed to test both squadrons’ response to potential real-world scenarios.

“Today’s training purpose was to practice multiple fronts,” said Maj. Ahryll Roberts, 374th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron flight and operational readiness flight commander. “We wanted to do a mass casualty scenario where we had three trauma patients come in, each requiring a different disposition.”

During the exercise, one patient was immediately transported to the operating room for care by the medical group’s lead general surgeon. The second patient was assessed and resuscitated in the urgent care until the determination was made to take them to an operating room with a secondary surgical team. The third patient was triaged by a third trauma response team and determined to be safe for transport to Naval Hospital Yokosuka on the UH‑1N.

“The 459th has an alert crew standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Capt. Jacob Taylor, 374th Airlift Wing executive officer and UH-1N instructor pilot. “Once the MDG establishes that a patient needs to be airlifted, they give us a call and we begin to run through our checklist. We have to respond within 30 minutes and be ready for takeoff within one hour, and so far we have not missed that timeline.”

The exercise scenario also introduced a casualty that needed immediate surgery, but was not stable enough for UH-1N transport. This presented a challenge for the 374th MDG and 459th AS, but also an opportunity to test a new capability. To bring in outside support, the squadrons coordinated transport of a Yokosuka general surgeon back to Yokota for assistance.

“If [our general surgeon] is out of commission Yokosuka will cover for us.” said Roberts. “So, for this exercise, we brought their surgeon here.

This rapid-response airlift capability makes an immense difference for patients in need of urgent care and medical professionals providing life-saving support. By replacing an approximately two-hour ambulance ride to Naval Hospital Yokosuka with a 30‑minute flight, the initiative significantly improves survival chances by decreasing transport times.

“We maximize all capabilities to get patients the treatment they need,” said Roberts. “The urgent care team is very grateful to have the airlift capability because their business is so time crucial.”

The CASEVAC initiative was launched in December 2023 after U.S. Forces Japan identified a need for improved access to critical care at Yokota Air Base and the Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji. Since its inception, this capability has been credited with saving nine lives.

Overall, the training highlighted the seamless coordination between airlift and medical teams and reinforced the importance of preparedness in ensuring rapid and effective patient care in time sensitive situations.