Global Medic 25-01

Forging Army Reserve Medical Readiness in a New Era of Large-Scale Combat Operations

By Brigadier General Todd W. Traver

Article published on: December 1, 2025, in the December 2025 Issue of The Pulse of Army Medicine

Read Time: < 5 mins

Introduction

Operation Mojave Falcon 25 (OMF) stands as the most expansive integrated training exercise in U.S. Army Reserve history, involving over 9,000 Soldiers across multiple states and domains.¹ Conducted over a sixteen-day period and extending from Fort Hunter Liggett to Fort Irwin, California, with operational nodes at the Port of Long Beach and Edwards Air Force Base, the exercise was designed to replicate the complexity, tempo, and scope of large-scale combat operations (LSCO) against a peer adversary.²

With over 1,200 participating Soldiers and 19 Soldiers from Canada, the exercise simulated joint and combined medical operations under combat conditions.

Nested within OMF was Global Medic 25-01 (GM 25-01), a capstone medical readiness exercise orchestrated by the Medical Readiness Training Command (MRTC). This effort was supported by First Army, the 807th Theater Medical Command, Army Reserve Medical Command, and multinational partners. GM 25-01 integrated Army Reserve medical units into a simulated LSCO environment that pushed the limits of combat health support in austere, degraded, and contested conditions.³

Operation Mojave Falcon: Total Force Integration and Multi-Component Readiness

OMF brought together numerous training efforts under one operational framework. The exercise included the Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX), Global Medic 25-01, Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise (QLLEX), Port Operations, and a Nationwide Move that challenged units to transport personnel and equipment from home station to combat-relevant theaters. For the first time, Army Reserve units employed Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P), and Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE) systems to construct a shared operational picture.⁴ The training environment exposed participants to a variety of battlefield threats including opposition force ambushes, drone swarms, indirect fire, cyber disruptions, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) operations, and complex sustainment operations.

Senior Army leaders described OMF as the Reserve’s “Super Bowl,” emphasizing the exercise’s centrality in validating multi-domain readiness. ⁵ The exercise demanded maneuver support, doctrinal precision, and tactical adaptability from every participating formation.

Global Medic 25-01: Capstone Medical Readiness Under Fire

Within this robust operational construct, Global Medic 25-01 emerged as the proving ground for Army Reserve medical units. With over 1,200 participating Soldiers and 19 Soldiers from Canada, the exercise simulated joint and combined medical operations under combat conditions. Units operated at both the Division Support Area and the Corps Support Area, enabling a theater-wide application of the Army Health System (AHS) under Task Force Medical’s direction.³

The training objectives of GM 25-01 were grounded in operational realism. This included battlefield casualty evacuation, operating within contested logistics environments, sustaining the fighting force through effective force health protection operations and return-to-duty functions, and building a dynamic Medical Common Operating Picture (MEDCOP) for command and control.⁶, ⁷

Training Assessment Executing the Four Medical Priorities

The first priority, clearing the battlefield through MEDEVAC and CASEVAC, tested unit coordination and agility across the division and corps levels.⁶ Units demonstrated proficiency in casualty collection, ambulance exchange points, and medical regulation procedures. While some scenarios highlighted the need for clearer doctrinal rehearsals and synchronization between maneuver and medical elements, units adapted through local initiatives and coordination with simulated higher headquarters.

In enabling the forward fight amid contested logistics, units had to manage Class VIII shortages, simulate blood resupply through Walking Blood Bank operations, and prioritize treatment under scarce conditions. Medical personnel became adept at reverse triage and integrating sustainment forecasts into patient treatment plans.⁷ The exercise reinforced the importance of forward-presence medical logistics and the requirement for med-log units to synchronize closely with general sustainers and aviation assets.

Force health protection and return-to-duty operations focused on minimizing the impact of disease, non-battle injuries, and combat stress. Units projected Preventive Medicine, Behavioral Health, and Veterinary capabilities far forward—for the first time in a Global Medic exercise.⁷ Soldiers received real-time intervention from behavioral health teams during MASCAL simulations and traumatic event management engagements. Preventive Medicine teams identified and mitigated sanitation and contamination risks, while Veterinary teams conducted inspections and ensured food safety across the exercise footprint.

The final focus area, establishing and maintaining the MEDCOP, revealed both strengths and gaps in mission command readiness. Many units successfully set up CPCE systems, populated their medical dashboards, and attempted integration with higher and adjacent commands.⁴ However, persistent bandwidth and gateway limitations prevented full MEDCOP synchronization. Units fell back on analog methods and PACE communications plans, but the experience underscored the urgent need for scalable and redundant mission command support in the Reserve Component.

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Global Medic 25-01 provided several important insights. First, effective battlefield evacuation requires integration between medical, sustainment, and maneuver elements, as well as reliable communication systems. While doctrine is clear, execution in a training environment exposed gaps that can only be resolved through deliberate planning and rehearsal.⁶

Second, managing logistics under LSCO stressors requires units to operate with agility, anticipate supply shortfalls, and adapt procedures in real time. Forward triage, blood collection, and flexible resupply mechanisms proved critical to mission success.¹

Third, force health protection efforts cannot remain isolated to rear echelons. This exercise showed the importance of embedding preventive, behavioral, and veterinary capabilities forward to preserve fighting strength.⁷ These teams proved capable of rapid deployment, autonomous operations, and contributed directly to readiness metrics.

Fourth, while digital mission command tools are improving, reliable connectivity remains a limiting factor. Units need greater access to hardwired options and should prepare to operate with analog backups and updated communication battle drills.⁴

Conclusion

Operation Mojave Falcon and Global Medic 25-01 represent a transformative evolution in Army Reserve training. Medical units demonstrated flexibility, clinical competence, and operational adaptability under conditions that mirrored the challenges of future conflicts. The exercise provided a valuable validation of readiness and exposed critical friction points that must be addressed to fully realize the potential of Army Medicine in LSCO.¹

While issues remain in communication infrastructure, logistical support, and integration planning, the Army Reserve medical community showed that it is capable, resilient, and essential to the Joint Force. The lessons of Global Medic 25-01 will shape training and operational doctrine moving forward, ensuring that Army Medicine continues to deliver the best possible support to Soldiers on the battlefield.

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