The Spanish Brigade in Lebanon performs a land and air medical evacuation exercise.

• In the 'Angel Rescue II' which has been put into practice the procedures of care and evacuation of wounded UNIFIL forces.

Members of the Spanish Brigade in Lebanon have carried out the 'Angel Rescue II' exercise for ground and aerial medical evacuation of the wounded.

To make the exercise as realistic as possible, a scenario was created in which a Spanish battalion patrol, consisting of two vehicles, was carrying out a routine patrol near the town of Majidiye and, due to poor visibility and a slippery road, one of the vehicles slipped and overturned.

It was simulated that as a result of the accident four people were injured to varying degrees and required medical attention. One of the occupants of the non-injured vehicle alerted the tactical operations center, while the others attended to the injured at the scene of the accident. The standard casualty evacuation procedure (CASEVAC) was then activated.

In these cases, upon notification, the evacuation cell is activated and aeromedical evacuation is requested. When the medical team arrives on the scene, it classifies the injured. The most seriously injured are evacuated by air and those with minor injuries by land.

The purpose of these exercises is to train both HQ, the command and control element of UNIFIL Sector East, and the forces and capabilities under its command, to react appropriately in the event of any ground and air CASEVAC, in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure for casualty evacuation. The key to success is that the Advanced Medical Team, escorted and led by a battalion patrol, is able to quickly reach the Incident Point and can timely conduct the evacuation of the wounded in the best safety conditions.

Force protection is one of Spain's and UNIFIL's priorities. The practice of these exercises helps to create an environment of security and confidence, allows the proper development of operations while preventing or mitigating the effects of possible hostile actions and dangers, preserving the capacity of the Force to perform its security and stability tasks in compliance with the mandate of the United Nations.