On 9 June 2026, the Italian Air Force hosted the “Strategic Aeromedical Evacuation Day: Capabilities and Operational Experiences” at Pratica di Mare Air Base. The event, organised by the Infermeria Principale di Pratica di Mare, brought together national authorities, military medical experts, operational representatives, and European partners to discuss strategic aeromedical evacuation capabilities.
The workshop focused on Italy’s national STRATEVAC capacity, including the presentation of the new MEDEVAC modules for the KC-767 aircraft. It also offered an opportunity to share operational lessons from medical evacuation missions from the Gaza Strip, with particular attention to command and control, medical coordination, and the cooperation between military health services and the national health system.
EATC played an active role in the international session, underlining its contribution to European strategic aeromedical evacuation. Col Dr Henning von Perbandt, Head of the Aeromedical Evacuation Control Centre (AECC) at EATC, presented the spectrum and capabilities of the AECC. LTC Jacopo Frassini, Flight Surgeon at the AECC, addressed Italy’s contribution to the EATC partnership, highlighting synergies and future perspectives in strategic aeromedical evacuation.
The session also benefited from the expertise of Col Mathias Borsch, former EATC member and current Branch Head at the German Air Force Centre of Aerospace Medicine, who presented German strategic aeromedical evacuation capabilities and medical training.
The event confirmed the importance of multinational cooperation, shared expertise, and interoperable medical evacuation structures in responding to complex operational and humanitarian crises.