Colorado Democrat introduces bill to bolster battlefield trauma care research

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army Ranger who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, plans to introduce legislation Friday meant to help the military keep refining battlefield medical care by drawing on lessons from wars abroad, including the fighting in Ukraine. Crow said the nature of warfare is shifting and that troops must be guaranteed excellent treatment whenever they are injured. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.) is co-sponsoring the bill, which has the backing of the University of Colorado Anschutz campus in Aurora, according to The Hill.

The bill — the Cooperative Overseas Military Battlefield Advancement in Trauma, or COMBAT, Care Act — would let the defense secretary, together with the secretary of state, form arrangements with military partners overseas centered on comparing notes from past combat and medical response, including joint gatherings and exchanges for medical staff, according to bill language reviewed by The Hill. The same wording is already included in this year's defense policy bill as passed separately by the House and the Senate.

Crank, using the Trump administration's preferred "Department of War" label for the Pentagon, said it matters that research and training partnerships around treating combat injuries keep advancing so troops are properly cared for. The Pentagon's Joint Trauma System, launched in 2016, already aims to raise survival chances and long-term recovery for wounded service members through continual review of treatment outcomes.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Hill’s reporting. Read the full story at The Hill →