WEBVTT 00:03.453 --> 00:04.906 - So I'm HM1 Nicole Sttot, 00:04.906 --> 00:07.323 Petty Officer First Class E6, 00:07.369 --> 00:09.306 Lead Medical Planner for the exercise 00:09.306 --> 00:11.306 of Phoenix Express 2017. 00:12.367 --> 00:13.838 - [Interviewer] Could you talk 00:13.838 --> 00:15.681 about your role in the exercise. 00:15.681 --> 00:18.867 What you'll be doing, daily activities. 00:18.867 --> 00:20.459 - Sure. So leading up to the exercise 00:20.459 --> 00:22.626 we got scenarios together, 00:22.665 --> 00:25.245 me and the two other HM's that are here 00:25.245 --> 00:27.534 with the basic moves that we want 00:27.534 --> 00:30.218 to assess the other countries teams' abilities to do. 00:30.218 --> 00:31.850 Then during the exercise, 00:31.850 --> 00:35.207 I have the other two corpsmen that are underway 00:35.207 --> 00:37.299 and then I stay back in the MOC, 00:37.299 --> 00:38.572 the Maritime Operations Center, 00:38.572 --> 00:41.252 doing daily after action reports, 00:41.252 --> 00:44.419 just to go over any issues that arise, 00:44.467 --> 00:46.910 and then also covering the scenarios 00:46.910 --> 00:49.660 that the other corpsmen onboard the ships 00:49.660 --> 00:51.173 have done during the day, 00:51.173 --> 00:53.970 just an overview of the assessments that they do, 00:53.970 --> 00:57.392 and the capabilities of the other countries MIO teams, 00:57.392 --> 01:00.849 and the equipment that they have with them. 01:00.849 --> 01:02.200 - [Interviewer] Could you talk a little bit 01:02.200 --> 01:03.840 about the matters that you're assessing 01:03.840 --> 01:06.091 and some of the information that you're... 01:06.091 --> 01:08.129 - Yes, so previous years in the exercise 01:08.129 --> 01:10.546 we would spend the first import days 01:10.546 --> 01:13.449 doing training with the other countries MIO teams, 01:13.449 --> 01:15.277 the basic medical wounds, 01:15.277 --> 01:18.838 such as fractures, amputations, gun shot wounds, 01:18.838 --> 01:21.427 things that they might see while boarding a ship. 01:21.427 --> 01:23.712 And then we would assess how well they 01:23.712 --> 01:26.928 carried out the training that we gave them. 01:26.928 --> 01:28.990 But the Six Fleet Medical felt 01:28.990 --> 01:31.002 that it wasn't really being useful longterm. 01:31.002 --> 01:32.980 It would help during the actual exercise 01:32.980 --> 01:36.813 but for longterm, longevity, and them actually 01:37.488 --> 01:41.017 being able to utilize it in their future training 01:41.017 --> 01:44.184 that it's not really being carried out 01:44.283 --> 01:45.343 as well as they would like. 01:45.343 --> 01:48.393 So they're doing a little bit differently this year, 01:48.393 --> 01:49.771 and instead of training them, 01:49.771 --> 01:51.101 we're just strictly assessing them, 01:51.101 --> 01:52.788 their capabilities that they have 01:52.788 --> 01:55.205 without any guidance from us. 01:55.341 --> 01:57.441 So during the boarding scenarios, 01:57.441 --> 01:59.139 we'll do a medical inject, 01:59.139 --> 02:01.889 such as the amputation or a burn, 02:02.057 --> 02:04.203 things like that while they're onboard. 02:04.203 --> 02:06.519 See how well they assess that situation, 02:06.519 --> 02:08.518 if they can still carry out their mission 02:08.518 --> 02:10.822 without losing their train of thought 02:10.822 --> 02:12.276 and completely falling apart. 02:12.276 --> 02:14.862 And as well as what kind of medical equipment 02:14.862 --> 02:16.379 they have access to, 02:16.379 --> 02:18.049 if they have individual First Aid kits, 02:18.049 --> 02:21.064 if they have splints, tourniquet, things like that. 02:21.064 --> 02:24.250 And then based on the assessments overall 02:24.250 --> 02:25.431 for the entire week, 02:25.431 --> 02:28.747 we'll send that information back to the Six Fleet Medical. 02:28.747 --> 02:31.076 And then they'll kind of see 02:31.076 --> 02:32.676 which countries might require a little bit 02:32.676 --> 02:33.524 of further training. 02:33.524 --> 02:36.308 And then the goal is to send a Mobile Training Team 02:36.308 --> 02:40.241 out to the actual country, outside of the exercise itself. 02:40.241 --> 02:42.824 And that will hopefully make it 02:43.344 --> 02:45.888 so they're a little bit more self-sufficient longterm, 02:45.888 --> 02:48.145 and get a little bit more thorough training 02:48.145 --> 02:50.923 than just the few hours that we're able to give them 02:50.923 --> 02:53.173 during the actual exercise. 02:54.469 --> 02:57.489 - [Interviewer] How do you feel like those injects prepare, 02:57.489 --> 03:00.572 as you guys think about the scenarios 03:00.886 --> 03:03.531 and kind of listing what you guys are trying to mock 03:03.531 --> 03:06.122 and kind of brainstorming how to test them, 03:06.122 --> 03:07.789 how to really see... 03:07.813 --> 03:10.146 So when you plan a scenario, 03:11.937 --> 03:13.993 what are you looking to achieve 03:13.993 --> 03:16.528 when you're planning a scenario or anything else? 03:16.528 --> 03:19.986 - Oh, are you talking about the actual ship injects 03:19.986 --> 03:21.226 or the medical injects? 03:21.226 --> 03:22.501 - [Interviewer] Exactly, could you talk about, 03:22.501 --> 03:23.334 can you speak on that then? 03:23.334 --> 03:25.973 Or is that something more planner-side? 03:25.973 --> 03:29.640 - So the actual injects that the ECG creates 03:30.995 --> 03:34.495 will have a scenario based on what threats 03:34.524 --> 03:36.124 are actually pertinent to the area. 03:36.124 --> 03:39.959 So illegal fishing, human trafficking, things like that, 03:39.959 --> 03:42.330 and that there'll be compliant, 03:42.330 --> 03:43.906 as well as non-compliant boarding. 03:43.906 --> 03:48.073 So based on what scenario's being implemented that day, 03:48.979 --> 03:52.744 the corpsman will kind of base what inject they do 03:52.744 --> 03:53.586 based on that. 03:53.586 --> 03:55.210 So if it's a non-compliant boarding 03:55.210 --> 03:57.467 where the crew is not being cooperative, 03:57.467 --> 04:01.634 they will do an inject of a gun shot wound or a stab wound, 04:02.507 --> 04:05.271 something that might be a little more pertinent 04:05.271 --> 04:06.819 to the actual situation. 04:06.819 --> 04:08.976 Where as if it's a compliant boarding 04:08.976 --> 04:10.266 and the team's cooperative, 04:10.266 --> 04:12.472 they'll do something like a fracture, 04:12.472 --> 04:14.515 like a crew member falls down a ladder while, 04:14.515 --> 04:15.727 something like that. 04:15.727 --> 04:17.746 So the actual corpsmen, they kind of do it 04:17.746 --> 04:20.829 based on the feeling of the scenario, 04:20.939 --> 04:24.356 where as the actual scenario for the VBSS 04:24.420 --> 04:28.587 are actually a set scene that is already set in place. 04:29.490 --> 04:31.669 It's typed up and everything like that. 04:31.669 --> 04:35.836 So we kind of just do a bit more based on how we're feeling. 04:36.892 --> 04:38.541 So if we're doing a non-compliant boarding 04:38.541 --> 04:41.399 and the MIO team has their weapons pointed forward 04:41.399 --> 04:44.487 and then they turn around and start looking around, 04:44.487 --> 04:45.477 not paying attention, 04:45.477 --> 04:47.448 we'll tap the crew member in front of them 04:47.448 --> 04:48.729 and say, "You just shot your crew member. 04:48.729 --> 04:49.812 "Now fix it." 04:50.311 --> 04:52.972 So we kind of do it just based on getting a feeling 04:52.972 --> 04:55.972 of the situation and go off of that. 04:57.271 --> 05:01.354 - [Interviewer] So, switching gears a little bit. 05:01.667 --> 05:05.667 I want to try and focus on your being Reservist, 05:06.650 --> 05:10.034 and what it's like to come out to these exercises. 05:10.034 --> 05:12.701 Can you talk a little bit about, 05:14.329 --> 05:16.485 being in Reserve deployment, 05:16.485 --> 05:18.069 what is it like to have the opportunity 05:18.069 --> 05:20.236 to serve in this capacity? 05:21.363 --> 05:24.696 Especially, it's kind of a unique thing, 05:26.958 --> 05:29.208 overseas, multi-national -- 05:29.816 --> 05:30.649 - Right. 05:30.649 --> 05:31.563 - Environment. 05:31.563 --> 05:35.234 A lot of Reservists, when they're pulling those duties, 05:35.234 --> 05:37.179 they don't have those opportunities. 05:37.179 --> 05:39.691 Can you tell us a little bit about 05:39.691 --> 05:43.359 what it's like to serve in this type of capacity? 05:43.359 --> 05:44.192 - Sure. 05:44.192 --> 05:46.299 So when I first got assigned to this unit, 05:46.299 --> 05:48.480 I had no idea what it was about, 05:48.480 --> 05:52.198 and I had never had the opportunity as a Reservist, 05:52.198 --> 05:54.379 or active duty, to really be in a unit like this 05:54.379 --> 05:56.699 that does the multi-national exercises 05:56.699 --> 05:58.978 so I didn't really know what to expect. 05:58.978 --> 06:01.195 But I've done, this is my third exercise so far 06:01.195 --> 06:03.612 that I've done with the unit, 06:04.014 --> 06:05.260 and it's been a great learning experience 06:05.260 --> 06:06.916 just working with other countries in general. 06:06.916 --> 06:10.499 Even on active duty, I was just land-based, 06:10.507 --> 06:12.702 and state-side for the most part, 06:12.702 --> 06:15.142 so I really only worked with the US Navy. 06:15.142 --> 06:18.011 But now just getting to work with the other countries 06:18.011 --> 06:20.495 and just getting a little bit more input 06:20.495 --> 06:22.390 on how they do things and how they work 06:22.390 --> 06:24.223 is pretty interesting. 06:26.681 --> 06:28.306 - [Interviewer] What are some challenges 06:28.306 --> 06:31.806 that you face working in a multi-national, 06:32.090 --> 06:34.257 international environment? 06:34.864 --> 06:37.431 - So I'd say the first exercise that I did 06:37.431 --> 06:39.320 was a little bit of a learning curve. 06:39.320 --> 06:43.487 We would do the hot washes after we did the scenarios 06:43.622 --> 06:46.728 and when I first started, we would do the briefing 06:46.728 --> 06:48.732 with the MIO teams that were onboard 06:48.732 --> 06:52.482 and kind of talk to each country individually 06:53.571 --> 06:54.806 but in front of each other. 06:54.806 --> 06:55.832 So we'd give them feedback, 06:55.832 --> 06:58.922 and some of it was negative and some was positive 06:58.922 --> 07:01.790 but then you'd see the other country kind of snickering 07:01.790 --> 07:03.993 because they understood what we were telling them, 07:03.993 --> 07:06.522 like things that they didn't do so well. 07:06.522 --> 07:08.347 So that was a learning curve 07:08.347 --> 07:10.605 of how to speak to the different countries 07:10.605 --> 07:14.272 so that each team wasn't against each other. 07:14.949 --> 07:17.537 So giving a little bit more, overall general feedback 07:17.537 --> 07:20.080 for both countries how they did 07:20.080 --> 07:21.783 and not pointing out things 07:21.783 --> 07:23.532 that each one did wrong, so much. 07:23.532 --> 07:27.449 So that was a definite learning curve for that. 07:30.933 --> 07:32.434 - [Interviewer] The last question I have 07:32.434 --> 07:33.637 for you this morning, 07:33.637 --> 07:37.220 What is it like to leave everything at home 07:38.694 --> 07:40.777 and fly across the world, 07:44.350 --> 07:45.887 and kind of switch gears, 07:45.887 --> 07:47.593 and put back on the uniform, 07:47.593 --> 07:51.176 and function as that subject matter expert? 07:51.281 --> 07:53.238 Can you tell us a little bit about 07:53.238 --> 07:54.738 what is that like? 07:54.945 --> 07:56.923 - I'd say it's a little bit of a struggle. 07:56.923 --> 07:58.392 Just in my civilian job now, 07:58.392 --> 08:00.564 I'm not doing so much in the medical field. 08:00.564 --> 08:02.606 So just trying to keep up my skills 08:02.606 --> 08:04.401 throughout the year to prepare for the exercise. 08:04.401 --> 08:06.671 So now that I've done a few, 08:06.671 --> 08:08.213 I'm more comfortable doing them 08:08.213 --> 08:09.211 because I know what to expect. 08:09.211 --> 08:12.537 But it definitely is a different experience 08:12.537 --> 08:14.336 so I look forward to it 08:14.336 --> 08:16.149 just because it's fun and exciting 08:16.149 --> 08:18.014 getting to travel to the different places. 08:18.014 --> 08:21.171 But it is a challenge to try to keep up your skills, 08:21.171 --> 08:23.808 where as your active duty counterparts 08:23.808 --> 08:25.053 are doing it every day 08:25.053 --> 08:27.812 and you're expected to be up to par with them 08:27.812 --> 08:30.062 even though you're not necessarily working 08:30.062 --> 08:32.312 in that field all the time. 08:34.516 --> 08:36.311 - [Interviewer] HM1, is there anything else 08:36.311 --> 08:38.034 that you would like to add about the exercise 08:38.034 --> 08:42.201 or that would want to tell New York about this experience? 08:42.840 --> 08:44.914 - I just think the exercises in general are good, 08:44.914 --> 08:47.914 just getting the countries together. 08:48.376 --> 08:51.213 You don't normally have 10 different countries 08:51.213 --> 08:52.479 sitting together in the same room 08:52.479 --> 08:54.060 for weeks at a time working together. 08:54.060 --> 08:55.723 So I think it's good to partner with them, 08:55.723 --> 08:59.890 and just to build different relationships with them. 09:00.375 --> 09:01.208 That is all. (laughs) 09:01.208 --> 09:02.391 - [Interviewer] Thank you. (laughs)