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NATO Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services gathered for its 63rd Plenary
12 June 2025
2 MIN READ
Washington D.C., 4–6 June 2025 – The NATO Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services (COMEDS) convened its 63rd Plenary Meeting – hosted by the United States and held at the Henry Jackson Foundation – the biannual meeting brought together Surgeon Generals and senior medical leaders from Allied and Partner nations. The meeting took place during a time of increased security challenges, where the role of military medicine has become increasingly central to deterrence and defence.
For the first time as Chair of COMEDS, Brigadier General Petter Iversen (Norway) welcomed participants, underscoring the importance of this meeting as a turning point for the medical community: “Over the past months, we have elevated the profile of the medical support domain across the Alliance. Now we must demonstrate that COMEDS is not only visible, but also influential and impactful.”
In his keynote address, Major General Luc Vanbockryck, Director of the NATO International Military Staff’s Logistics & Resources Division, echoed this call for transformation, highlighting that: “Civilian plans for energy, transport, communications, and medical support must connect seamlessly to our regional defence plans, so that a shock to one sector does not paralyse the rest. Logistics and medicine share one purpose: safeguarding people so that strategy can succeed.”
A core focus of the 63rd Plenary was the implementation of the NATO Medical Action Plan (MAP), with a special session dedicated to COMEDS restructure, in order to best align the Committee with the scope of the MAP and COMEDS’ core mission.
Additionally, like previous plenary’s, a session was dedicated to Ukraine, where views, lessons identified and best practices on military medical capabilities were exchanged.
COMEDS remains NATO’s highest military medical authority, providing strategic advice to the Military Committee and helping ensure the Alliance is medically prepared for today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges. The 63rd Plenary reaffirmed COMEDS’ role as a driver of readiness and a critical enabler of NATO’s collective defence posture.