The Air Force medical corps has fine-tuned a battlefield surgical capability—the Mobile Forward Surgical Team—that can deploy within 24-48 hours with 2,000 pounds of gear, enough to conduct 10 critical or 20 less-critical surgeries. It can be ready to operate within 15 minutes of arrival at its destination. It is not a future capability. One such team is in Southwest Asia now, working with the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group. If necessary, the five-person MFST could each carry a 70-pound backpack and several auxiliary bags and hike 10 miles to set up their field surgery. The team comprises a general surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, nurse, anesthesiologist, and an emergency physician.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.