On 13 November 2025, the European Air Transport Command (EATC) hosted its second Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) Day at Eindhoven Air Base, bringing together over 80 military medical professionals and strategic and operational experts from NATO, the EU, the seven EATC nations, as well as from Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States Air Forces in Europe.
With this year’s theme Supporting AE in the Full Spectrum of Operations, the event highlighted EATC’s role in developing interoperable AE capabilities.
AE Day 2025 showcased strategic policy, operational planning, and tactical lessons learned, grounded in the real-world challenges of today’s security environment.
Opening and Strategic Perspective
The day began with a welcome address by Major-General Franck Mollard, Commander EATC, who set the tone by underscoring the life-saving impact of timely, well-coordinated AE missions from any environment, whether during peacetime, crisis, or conflict.
The first speaker session focused on policy and preparedness:
- Dr David Willey, delivered the presentation for the Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO, and outlined NATO’s Medical Action Plan, highlighting key messages for frameworks.
- Colonel Dr Henning von Perbandt, Head of Branch of the Aeromedical Evacuation Coordination Centre (AECC) at the EATC, gave a detailed look at how the AECC synchronizes AE missions 24/7 across borders.
National and Operational Coordination
The second session explored civil-military cooperation and operational flow:
- Mr Bent-Ove Jamtli, Norwegian Department for Security and Emergency Preparedness, shared insights in Norway’s civil-military cooperation mechanisms, illustrating the Norwegian Total Defence concept from a medical perspective.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Gareth Cobb, NATO Joint Support and Enabling Command, discussed the role of AE within the broader scope of patient flow in large-scale collective defence operations.
A moderated panel discussion followed, bringing together all morning speakers to discuss the challenges of harmonising procedures and integrating AE within NATO’s medical evacuation chain.
Operational Planning and Multinational Support
The afternoon session dug into operational planning and multinational cooperation in complex environments:
- Colonel John Bell, NATO Joint Force Command Brunssum, spoke on the role of AE in NATO’s Regional Plans, discussing both challenges and opportunities.
- Colonel Dr David Lacassagne, Multinational Medical Coordination Centre – Europe, discussed and illustrated the importance of EU-NATO coordination in conflict, advocating for synchronised medical efforts.
- Dr David Willey, NATO Support and Procurement Agency, discussed the use of commercial contracts and rapid-response assets for scalable AE.
The final session focused on operational field experience:
- Lieutenant-Colonel Håkon Asak and Chief Sergeant Bjørn Eidissen, Norwegian Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, provided an experience brief, including insights from recent Ukraine and Gaza operations.
- Major Justin Stein from U.S Air Forces in Europe, offered a transatlantic view on planning and executing high-volume AE missions, illustrated with real-life experiences and lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and Kabul.
These sessions showed that AE is not just a capability - it’s a lifeline, and one that must be synchronised with the operational landscape.
AECC and the Power of Multinational Medical Coordination
With a decade of experience and over 18.000 processed patient movement requests, the EATC has become a recognized centre of expertise in the field of fixed-wing aeromedical evacuation. Active harmonisation of AE concepts has enabled interoperable use of aircraft, including preconfigured medical aircraft like Germany’s A400M, Luxembourg’s civilian AE assets, or the MMU’s A330 MRTT.
“We work in close coordination with the National Patient Evacuation Coordination Centres (PECCs), and we can match patient needs with the right aircraft, the right medical setup, and within the right timeline across Europe and beyond” said Colonel Dr von Perbandt.
Innovation, Collaboration, and the Path Forward
The poster exhibition and standing lunch offered participants a dynamic space to present their national AE capabilities, multinational training initiatives, and ongoing or future projects. AE Day served not only as a technical symposium but also as a networking event for deeper multinational trust and collaboration.
“AE Day demonstrates that we combine expertise, standardised procedures, and trust. This saves lives,” said General Mollard.
With the next AE Day already under discussion, EATC continues to drive forward as a centre of excellence in aeromedical evacuation, offering scalable, interoperable solutions for tomorrow’s operational demands.