Capt. Kristina Reck working with Mongolian Armed Forces dentist and oral surgeon during Pacific Angel 23-2 Mongolia.
A Mongolian dental student serves as a translator during Pacific Angel 23-2 Mongolia while Capt. Brian Ng examines the patient.
Meanwhile, Pass has been a strong advocate for a dedicated assessing, monitoring and evaluating position responsible for validating medical readiness achieved during humanitarian and civic assistance missions. While quantitative data offers one perspective, qualitative vignettes capture how training in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous conditions has led to innovative adaptations. These engagements empower medics to develop a solutions-driven mindset, preparing them for prolonged care scenarios in resource-limited environments during permissive training conditions. These engagements strengthen partnerships — a critical imperative outlined in the National Security Strategy. By fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing, they not only enhance dental capabilities but also contribute to global health resilience.
care, patient movement, patient evacuation coordination, disease outbreak response and patient administration. At Pacific Air Forces, Santora is actively coordinating health engagements and subject matter expert exchanges, often integrating them within military exercises. While aeromedical evacuation remains a primary focus, aerospace medicine is consistently requested by partner nation air forces. Santora also facilitates exchanges in the fields of forensic odontology and digital dentistry. The U.S. Air Force is well positioned for forensic odontology exchanges, as all Air Force dental clinics maintain forensic dentistry kits and possess basic identification skills through the Comprehensive Medical Readiness Program. Santora also collaborates with forensic dentists at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which tirelessly recovers remains of missing service members worldwide. The Philippine Air Force requested such an exchange following a C-130 crash in 2021.
Military-to-Military Interoperability At Air Combat Command, Pass consistently reviews existing medical and dental policies, seeking innovative ways to collaborate on global health engagements. He actively pursues additional education to influence policies that impact how the international military health community trains. After completing an International Military Medical Observer Trainer course, Pass partnered with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) medical units to provide real-time feedback on interand intra-team communication dynamics. This multilateral exercise involves over 50 ally and partner nations rigorously testing interoperability in critical areas such as point-of-injury
22
AGD IMPACT
NOVEMBER 2024
Summary Through their extensive efforts, Pass and Santora significantly contribute to global health engagements and medical readiness, ensuring that personnel are well prepared for challenges both domestically and internationally. Both maintain their dental licenses and credentials, actively practicing dentistry in Air Force clinics. Their multifaceted roles exemplify the wideranging abilities and leadership of dental officers, significantly contributing to global health resilience. ♦