Ready at a Moment’s Notice: Two of the Navy’s Frontline Public Health Teams Will Take the Watch

Story by Jennifer Goulart

Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command

Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Units (FDPMUs) are essential components of the Navy’s public health and medical readiness and Navy Medicine’s only Public Health expeditionary platform.

Two teams are currently undergoing a crucial certification process known as the “Medical TYCOM (Type Command) Certification” and are expected to be fully certified by the end of summer, following the successful completion of an Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE).

This certification is significant to Force Health Protection and the Navy requires two FDPMU teams be always on the watch, on each coast. Teams train rigorously for nine to 12 months before being evaluated through the ORE. The final certification is signed off by Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, Rear Adm. Matthew Case.

The teams taking over the watch includes, FDPMU ONE, affiliated with Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit TWO (NEPMU), which will replace FDPMU TWO. Additionally, FDPMU SIX, a combined team from NEPMUs FIVE and SIX, will relieve FDPMU FIVE.

FDPMUs can operate from both land and sea platforms and are structured to be highly adaptable. According to Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command Preventive Medicine Director, Cmdr. Lucas Johnson, standing the watch means teams must be fully prepared to deploy with just four to 10 days’ notice, operating at a 100 percent readiness level.
“Unlike other Expeditionary Medical (EXMEDs) units that typically have a 90-day preparation period, FDPMUs must be ready to respond immediately,” he said.

A base team consists of 13 members and can be augmented up to 16 members for specific missions. The teams are divided into various components, each specializing in different areas such as preventive medicine, chemical, disease vector, radiologic, and microbiological tasks. The 16-person teams include additional radiologic and biochemical experts.

In theater, FDPMUs serve as vital assets, enhancing the capabilities of organic public health units rather than replacing them. Their mission encompasses comprehensive Force Health Protection throughout the deployment spectrum—pre-deployment, during deployment, and post-deployment.

Pre-deployment involves ensuring health instructions align with CDC, the National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), and Combatant Command (COCOM) recommendations. Post-deployment, FDPMUs conduct sampling missions to identify and quantify environmental and occupational health threats, with data recorded in the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System (DOEHRS). This helps the Navy identify adverse conditions in any given geographical location.

FDPMUs perform a variety of critical functions. The Preventive Medicine component includes physicians and environmental health officers, conducting disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, and ensuring water quality. The Chemical component can analyze a wide range of substances and model the impacts of chemical releases. The Radiologic component can detect and quantify radiological hazards.

The Microbiological component, with its Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory, where work is done with moderate-risk agents present in the community and associated with humans, can perform real-time pathogen detection. The Disease Vector component manages pest surveillance and control.

The capstone exercise for FDPMUs is the Occupational Environmental Health Site Survey (OEHSS), a comprehensive assessment required for any site where U.S. forces will be stationed for more than 30 days. This survey identifies health hazards and develops a sampling plan to quantify risks, ensuring data is entered into DOEHRS.

“Once teams are certified they are still training and getting experience with specialized equipment,” said Johnson. “We have seen a lot of success getting these teams meaningfully integrated into major Navy exercises and conducting additional overseas health surveys to keep their skills sharp and ensure they are gainfully employed and at the top of their capability.”

In addition to their medical expertise, FDPMU members are trained in tactical and operational warfighting skills, ensuring they can defend themselves and operate in forward-deployed environments. This comprehensive preparation helps reduce the lag in providing critical health information to commanders, thereby protecting the health of the warfighter, and preserving force strength.

By addressing health risks that can significantly impact combat effectiveness, FDPMUs play a crucial role in maintaining the readiness and resilience of U.S. forces. Their work ensures that commanders can deploy the maximum combat power needed to achieve mission objectives, emphasizing the importance of health protection in overall military strategy.

Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC), an echelon four command, oversees the FDPMUs, while the NEPMUs (echelon 5) provide the personnel. NEPMU TWO man’s Teams ONE, TWO, THREE, and the reserve Team SEVEN, NEPMU 5 man’s Teams FOUR and FIVE, and NEPMU SIX man’s Team SIX. Occasionally, teams are blended between NEPMUs to meet specific requirements. Certification is finalized and approved by Navy Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL).