By Sgt. Aaron Kaczur, U.S. Army V Corps

TAPA, Estonia – U.S. Army Spc. James Wyman, assigned to the 603rd Military Police Company, conducted a combat lifesaver class with the French Army on Tapa Army Base in Tapa, Estonia, May 11, 2026. The CLS training between forces covered the fundamentals of tactical combat casualty care, like applying tourniquets and treating simulated wounds. Training like this prepares soldiers to keep warfighters alive on the battlefield.

This training gave French soldiers hands-on exposure to the U.S. Army combat lifesaving doctrine and equipment, allowing them to see firsthand how American forces respond to casualties in a tactical environment. When allied forces train together using the same techniques and equipment, they remove barriers and share new ways to adapt and provide care with the resources available to them.

“It improves multinational readiness in the event something kicks off,” said Spc. James Wyman, combat medic assigned to the 603rd Military Police Company. “Combat lifesavers are the first line of care on the battlefield. So if everybody, not just Americans, but everybody in NATO or all of our allies, are capable of providing that care, then it strengthens us as a whole.”

Combat casualty care is a critical skill for Soldiers to possess. The ability to treat a wounded teammate on the battlefield can mean the difference between life and death. By conducting training with the French forces it ensures that in a joint operation, any Soldier, regardless of nationality, has the knowledge to keep each other alive until higher medical care arrives.

“Now I think about how much faster the point of injury care can be if everybody is proficient around the injured individual,” said Wyman.

The instructors designed the course to do more than teach medical skills, it built trust and deepened the partnership between two of NATO’s longest standing allies. The CLS course may seem like a small event on a large training calendar, but its impact reaches far beyond the classroom. When a French soldier can pick up a U.S. tourniquet and apply it correctly, or recognize the steps of wound packing under pressure, the alliance gains something no powerpoint can provide.

V Corps is the U.S. Army’s only forward-deployed corps, serving as the senior tactical headquarters for Army forces in Eastern Europe to deter conflict and provide combat-ready forces alongside our NATO allies. V Corps is operationalizing and expanding the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line with Allies, rapidly integrating emerging technologies into training and tactical plans.