Health service support in the future operating environment 2035

Area of Science:

• Geopolitics and Global Security
• Public Health and Military Medicine

Background:

• The period to 2035 is projected to feature significant global instability, driven by factors like climate change, population growth, resource scarcity, ideological resurgence, and geopolitical power shifts.
• These trends pose potential risks to the health of civil societies and military personnel operating in challenging environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the potential impacts of emerging global strategic trends on health service support (HSS).
• To evaluate the implications for HSS within the Future Operating Environment (FOE) of 2035.

Main Methods:

• Analysis based on foundational reports: Global Strategic Trends—Out to 2040 and NATO Strategic Foresight Analysis Report 2013.
• Consideration of the future character of conflict and its influence on HSS.

Main Results:

• Future impacts on HSS are not entirely predictable or predetermined, with the possibility of strategic shocks.
• Emerging global trends present complex challenges to maintaining health service support for military operations.

Conclusions:

• Knowledge of vulnerabilities is crucial for developing and evaluating adaptive strategies.
• Proactive risk mitigation is essential to ensure the resilience of health service support in dynamic future operating environments.