On 5 August 2026, the Head of the Department of the Military Medical Services, Col. Anita Podlasin, PhD met with the delegation of the military healthcare leadership in the United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF), headed by chief physician – Brig. Gen. Lance Raney, who is also the Commanding General of the 68th Theatre Medical Command (68th TMC), and Brig. Gen. Mark Stackle, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command, Europe (MRC-E) and Director of Defense Health Network – Europe (DHN-E).

The talks were an opportunity to discuss the status of ongoing projects, as well as plans for the immediate future in the broad area of military healthcare. Joint initiatives and further close cooperation with regards to exercises, tactical medicine training, mass decontamination, supplying blood and interoperability of field medical facilities and medical evacuation were discussed during the meeting. The participants have agreed to let more detailed arrangements for future activities be decided by specific medical components. The American allies have assured that they will offer strong specialized support and full involvement of military medicine elements in the medical system on the eastern flank of NATO.

On the Polish side, apart from the specialists from the Department of the Military Medical Services, the Commander of the Medical Forces, the Deputy Director of the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, the leadership of the Military Centre of Blood Donation and Haemotherapy, the Commander of the Epidemiological Response Center, and the representatives of the Polish Armed Forces General Command, among others, have also been present at the meeting.

The visit from the allies was also an opportunity for Col. Polasin, who became the Head of her Department in July, to establish a working relationship with Brig.Gen. Raney, who assumed command of the 68th TMC in June. The participants have evaluated positively the bilateral cooperation so far, noting that it contributed to strengthening Polish resilience to existing threats, as well as successful deterrence and defence on the eastern flank of NATO.

The next part of the visit of the US delegation was a meeting at the Military Medical Institute – National Research Institute in Warsaw, where discussions with the Institute’s leadership and staff were had. The guests had the opportunity to see the potential and leading role of the Institute in the medical security of the eastern flank of NATO, as well as the research and projects in the Institute, including in the areas of reconstructive orthopaedics and maxillofacial surgery, in the context of injuries typical on a modern battlefield.