SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- A 7th Medical Group initiative aimed at improving connectivity and agility for deployed military medics has been cleared for takeoff at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas in West Central Texas.
The program, dubbed “STARDOC,” equips medics with a portable, high-speed internet connection able to connect to complex military medical systems, such as MHS GENESIS, in real-time, no matter how remote or austere the location.
“STARDOC is a game changer for health care delivery and readiness,” said Lt. Col. Phillip Strawbridge, 7th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron commander. “With just a pack on their back and a power source, our medics can access vital medical evacuation and patient information in locations where connectivity may be degraded or unavailable. The possibilities are endless for delivering safe, quality care to our deployed warfighters.”
The portable STARDOC system comprises a satellite dish, laptop, cables and power source. It’s deceptively small, but its impact is anything but once connected to Starlink, a constellation of low-orbiting satellites capable of delivering high-speed, low-latency commercial internet on a global scale, even in locations notoriously lacking in connectivity, Strawbridge explained. The satellite system has been used successfully in the military and private sectors, he added.
Medics can use this service, similar to any hot spot, to connect to the military’s virtual protected network, or VPN. Once on VPN, medics can securely interact with MHS GENESIS, the Aeromedical Services Information Management System, and other health care programs key to medical operations.
“It also gives our medics access to a wealth of online resources, medical libraries, and virtual support from medical experts across the DoD, which translates to better decision-making and warfighter care,” Strawbridge said.
The medical group first learned of this resource after their installation partners, the 317th Airlift Wing, pioneered a Tactical Operations Center, or “TOC in a box,”, which uses Starlink technology to ensure connectivity in environments where traditional communication lines may be blocked or degraded. After hearing of the wing’s success, the 7th MDG asked to explore potential medical applications.
With the wing’s support, the 7th MDG team learned how to set up STARDOC and access medical information in about 10 minutes – no technological expertise or support required.
“It’s as simple as downloading an app on a laptop and giving it a power source,” Strawbridge said. “With this capability, our medics can set up from any location and be ready to provide care in about 20 minutes, with the same capabilities and access they would have when sitting at their desk in the clinic.”
Eager to see the system in action, the team tested the capability during Dyess’ recent Air Force Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise, which simulates an installation-wide power outage.
“Using STARDOC, our medics were the only ones with internet during the outage,” Strawbridge said. “We used the kit to establish a reliable connection to MHS Genesis for about 25 medics, ensuring continued access to virtual and in-person care during a time when we’d typically have to close a clinic or service.”
The team again put STARDOC to the test in April during Hazard Spear, a two-week exercise that validates the 317th AW’s ability to quickly mobilize and operate across vast distances in the Indo-Pacific theater. The team joined a C-130J Super Hercules mission from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to Saipan Island and Yap, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Their aim was to test the feasibility of having medics establish power and connectivity in remote island locations equipped with just a STARDOC kit and their medical expertise.
“Using the C-130 as a power source, we established satellite connection within four minutes in Saipan and seven minutes in Yap,” said Senior Airman Jamie Mendoza, 7th Health Care Operations Squadron aerospace medical technician, noting they were even able to troubleshoot a malfunctioning satellite dish without outside support.
The set up was surprisingly simple, even for someone who isn’t “techie,” Mendoza added. “I was able to set up the system without IT background or expertise and access electronic health records including medical histories, labs, vaccinations and medications. It made it much easier to assess and treat my patients.”
Mendoza also expressed her appreciation for the improved efficiency. Without connectivity, medics must document care on paper and later upload the information to the service member’s electronic health record.
With proven success, the 7th MDG plans to continue testing the limits of STARDOC, starting with acquiring the satellite service and a solar power generator as a backup power source, courtesy of the 7th Bomb Wing. They hope to team up again with the 317th AW to replicate the “hub-and-spoke” model of operations they used during their C-130 mission in future local and Pacific region exercises, Strawbridge said, while also expanding the program to include other specialties such as nursing, public health, and dental.
Additionally, the team will explore opportunities to deliver health care to service members at Dyess wherever they are, whether on the flightline or in a commander’s call.
Better connectivity is beneficial on so many levels, both for military medical personnel and for warfighters, Strawbridge noted.
“It’s efficient, it’s safer, it improves readiness, and it broadens the scope of practice for our medics by giving them real-time access to resources and expertise worldwide,” said Strawbridge. “It’s a true force-multiplier.”
Maj. Gen. Thomas Harrell, Medical Readiness Alpha commander, lauded the medical group’s initiative to ensure ready medics and medically ready forces in this era of great-power competition.
“This is exactly the type of innovative thinking we need to counter near-peer threats,” Harrell said.
Future military engagements will likely involve a large-scale, technologically advanced military force and dispersed operations, a departure from recent conflicts where a higher level of medical care is a “golden hour” away, he explained. In remote locations, the highest level of care may be an Air Force medic or Navy corpsman, and evacuation to a higher level of care may take days vs. hours.
“If there’s a near-peer conflict, our deployed medics will be called on to operate at a higher level of autonomy with more decision-making space, or ‘mission command,’ than ever before,” Harrell said. “Initiatives such as STARDOC demonstrate we’re moving in the right direction to best support our medics and the delivery of safe, quality care around the world.”