Defence personnel from eight partner nations, including Australia, Canada, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, took part in combined tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) training during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).

The two-day activity began with classroom-based instruction at Naval Health Clinic Hawaii Makalapa, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, before participants applied their skills during a medical exercise on board the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa.

Canadian Forces medical officer Major Zhang led the first iteration of the training on board Ottawa.

“This is the first time that we are conducting this training, and, with so many allies participating at RIMPAC, it has turned out to be a really integrated activity,” she said.

“It was really important that we conducted the medical exercise to simulate real-world scenarios because we want our people to train where we fight.”

The training was designed to strengthen participants' ability to assess and treat a range of combat-related injuries while improving interoperability and medical readiness across allied and partner forces.

Royal Australian Navy medical officer Lieutenant Commander Patrick Owen said the training highlighted the value of multinational collaboration.

"We observed enthusiastic cooperation from all of the partner nations, with everyone willing to get involved and apply the TCCC principles,” Lieutenant Commander Owen said.

"It wasn't without its challenges, as there were language and communication barriers. But thanks to technology and the strong relationships we are building between our allied partners, we quickly worked through these to achieve high-quality, standardised patient care, which was our goal."

By providing a common framework for immediate battlefield casualty care, TCCC helps standardise treatment across participating forces. 

The shared medical practices and terminology improve communication, enhance cooperation and ensure personnel from different nations can deliver consistent care in multinational operations.

As the world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC brings together forces from 30 participating nations, providing an unparalleled opportunity to integrate with allied and partner navies, conduct professional exchanges and strengthen person-to-person relationships.