South Korea’s military can now rapidly procure emergency surgical equipment in wartime without undergoing the standard review process.
According to South Korea’s military authorities on Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defense recently issued a revised directive on acquiring and disposing of medical equipment.
Under current procedures, when the military acquires medical equipment, individual branches such as the Army Headquarters and the Armed Forces Medical Command first hold primary and secondary review committee meetings. The results are then reported to the Ministry of National Defense, which finalizes the procurement plan through an expanded review committee.
The revised directive allows the omission of both the branch-level review committees and the Ministry’s expanded review committee when procuring medical equipment urgently needed during wartime. However, it stipulates that the procurement unit must report to the Ministry of National Defense immediately after acquiring the equipment.
A military official explained that the revision aims to streamline procedures to ensure immediate and efficient mission conditions for wartime units and newly established field hospitals.
This directive revision is also part of the Ministry’s plan to establish a system capable of setting up surgical facilities anywhere in the country within 90 minutes during wartime.
The Forward Surgical Team (FST), created by Lee Guk Jong, the director of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital, participated in last year’s joint island defense training held by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps in the northwestern islands.
The FST is a small, mobile surgical unit capable of setting up an operating room within 90 minutes of arriving in an operational area. It comprises five members: Lee, a military surgeon, a nurse officer, and two logistics officers. During the training, the team demonstrated its ability to smoothly perform the entire emergency trauma patient transport and treatment process.
A military representative noted that the FST could play a significant role in wartime and that quickly acquiring the medical equipment they need is crucial for the safety and lives of service members. The official added that operating multiple teams like the FST would further enhance the capabilities of South Korea’s military.