A decade of great progress in medical readiness.

The 1980s were times of extensive real growth in military capability of the Armed Forces of the United States. In concert with this growth, the ability to provide direct medical mission support and combat casualty care was greatly enhanced. Because medical equipment and supplies are worth little without qualified health care personnel, enhanced medical readiness training programs were created early in the build. The training programs, coupled with expanded inventories of medical equipment and supplies, were key elements in the decade-long quest to enhance medical readiness. This decade must be remembered for the success in building medical readiness capability and for the lessons learned while doing it.