German military medicine: missions and innovations

The German military medical service's foremost task in peacetime is to train and prepare medical personnel for their tasks in wartime. To this end, six medical subservices have been formed. They provide inpatient and outpatient care for the assigned military formations. Medical support for the reaction forces follows the principles of "operational medicine," which is provided in three qualitatively coordinated medical support levels. These support levels from the "lifesaving chain" for Bundeswehr soldiers deployed abroad, who are entitled to receive medical care that corresponds to the medical standard in Germany.