The surgeon general of the U.S. Air Force and his counterpart in the Israeli Defense Force signed an agreement Feb. 5 in Israel to reaffirm their mutual commitment to collaboration between the Air Force Medical Service and the IDF Medical Corps.

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Thomas Travis and Brig. Gen.  (Dr.) Yitshak  Kreiss signed the Terms of Reference (TOR) agreement to expand cooperation in areas such as aerospace medicine, mental health, training, academics and medical research. 

“The IDF is a valuable partner, and their work in the field of trauma care has been phenomenal,” said Gen. Travis.  “Their extensive operational experience in treating trauma has been invaluable and contributed greatly to the U.S.  Joint Theater Trauma System during the war in Afghanistan.  I am very excited about the huge potential for collaboration in other areas of training and research, such as critical care evacuation, fatigue management, and aerospace medicine.  We have a lot to learn from each other, and this new framework for further collaboration will be very beneficial to both of our Nations.”

The U.S./Israeli partnership also involves a program where officers serve in exchange fellowships at partner research organizations, to include the U.S. Battlefield Health and Trauma Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.  In addition, IDF and USAF experts have co-authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on their work and findings in cutting-edge medicine.  Future plans would expand these efforts.

“In my 25 years of experience in the IDF Medical Corps, the collaboration between us and the U.S. military is the deepest it has ever been,” said Gen. Kreiss.  “Our collaboration is based on true partnership, friendship, and most importantly, on shared values.”