Coalition Nations Sign International 'Interfly' Agreement

May 23, 2012 Jon Stock / Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs / AFNS – defpro.com

WASHINGTON | U.S. Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green, along with the surgeons general of Australia, Canada and Great Britain, signed an international "Interfly" Proclamation of Understanding on May 14, in Atlanta, Ga.

The Interfly proclamation, which was signed during the Aerospace Medical Association Conference, is intended to promote and support mutual cooperation and interoperability of the aeromedical evacuation assets between nations, officials said.

This proclamation conveys the desire to promote agreements and arrangements that provide for compatible training, equipment and procedures so that aeromedical evacuation teams from these nations may support each other on the same aircraft where operational circumstances require it.

"They train alike, they understand the same critical care aspects, they understand aeromedical evacuation aspects," said Green. "This will facilitate future training exercises and will serve all of our nations well."

Since 2009 there has been an informal agreement to clear medical equipment on each other's similar aircraft, however, the formal proclamation will allow the nations' medical teams to use aircraft and work alongside each other for the years to come, officials said.

"When you have a team that is trained, well equipped and meets the standards, they should be able to board an aircraft quickly to move critical patients because we do it so well together," said Green. "This is a great move forward in our joint partnership."

The other countries' surgeon general representatives included Air Commodore Tracy Smart, the director general air force health services with the Royal Australian Air Force; Commodore Hans Jung, the Canadian Forces surgeon general; and Air Vice Marshal Aroop Mozumder, the director general medical services chief of staff with the Royal Air Force.