Teaching medical planning with the CMPEC3 framework
🪖 From *problem framing to *solution to *proof of concept — our latest paper is presently published in AMSUS – The Society of Federal Health Professionals Military Medicine Oxford University Press 📄 Full paper: doi.org(/)10.1093/milmed/usag137 (clickable link in comments)
Modern warfare in #Ukraine has exposed a critical gap in medical doctrine: Small-unit leaders — company level and below — are left without a structured medical planning framework precisely where the fight is most dangerous.
Since 2023, we’ve been working to close that gap, and this publication marks an important #milestone in that effort.
From “problem” to “solution”
The arc of our work:
Firstly, doi.org(/)10.1093/milmed/usaf217, we diagnosed the problem: NATO military medical planning doctrine lacks the granularity needed for small-unit operations, and cultural and organizational barriers compound the challenge.
Secondly, doi.org(/)10.1093/milmed/usaf607, we proposed the solution: the Medical Planning Process (MPP) — a TLP-derived, doctrinally grounded planning cycle for small-unit medical leaders, with the #CMPEC3 mission analysis framework (Casualty Estimation, Materiel, Personnel, Environment, Command, Control & Communications) at its core.
The MPC as Quality Improvement
Thus, in our newest report, we show results of first systematic implementation: the Medical Planning Course (MPC), delivered to 66 Ukrainian military medical personnel — combat medic graduates, senior enlisted, and officers — across multiple formats in Ukraine.
What we found:
✅ A basic medical CONOPS and evacuation scheme can be constructed within hours of structured practice.
✅ Students unanimously recognized the value of structured planning — including those initially skeptical.
✅ Real combat experience in the room, from veteran faculty and peers, validated the CMPEC3 components directly.
Likewise, the challenges in implementation were equally instructive: time pressure from command, the limited fit of NATO Roles of Care in the Ukrainian context, and the need to anchor planning in clinical triage and DCR/DCS rather than fixed-capability.
All in all, the most significant outcome was not a metric — it was a mindset shift. Personnel who arrived skeptical about the feasibility of planning left convinced of its value, with a completed plan in hand.
This is proof of concept of instructional utility and face validation.
The next steps are already being taken: formal validation, scalability, and integration into national doctrine and guidelines.
Grateful to work alongside this exceptional team: Denys Surkov, JOHN M QUINN V, EMT-P, MD, MPH, PhD, CIME, Casper F, Dimitry Kovtunenko, Dimitry Sherman
Tim Bongartz MD, MS, CTropMed, Al Giwa, LLB, MD, MBA, MBE, FACEP, FAAEM, and Professor Martin Bricknell CB OStJ.
The unsung heroes of this are the Ukrainian medics and commanders who gave their time — in a warzone — to make this possible.
#MilitaryMedicine #CombatMedicineTraining #NATO #CMPEC3 #MedicalPlanning #Ukraine #TCCC #SmallUnitTactics #DoctrinalDevelopment #LSCO #MedicalEducation #Casualtycare #MPP #ArmedForcesofUkraine #MilitaryEducation