What is the background to the request?After India reached out for help to friends and allies, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a meeting, which was attended by the head of Homeland Services, Department of Defence and other key representatives. Given the critical requirement in India, the possibility of airlifting portable oxygen generators used by the US military was discussed in detail.Why does the US have this equipment?Since the US Military is an expeditionary force, it has a range of medical equipment to help it rapidly set up field hospitals for its troops. This includes the ability to establish hospitals with ICUs in forwarding areas without any external logistics. The US has also invested heavily in developing oxygen generators that are needed for frontline troops deployed away from medical facilities. Given the impracticality of carrying oxygen cylinders, the generators have been developed for quick deployment to field areas and are easily transportable by air, land and sea. The closest location to India that has such equipment is Afghanistan and Bahrain.What are the concerns?Discussions are on to bring these systems for emergency use and India can technically activate the logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement(LEMOA)for this. Besides the availability of spare capacity, these systems will need to be set up and operated by the US Forces in India. That would mean the presence of US Military personnel at locations where the units are needed. While the US military personnel routinely assist and train Indian soldiers during exercises when new military equipment is inducted, they haven’t been deployed in India in the recent past for any such medical emergency.How does the system work?The US Military uses two types of oxygen generators for its frontline troops. The larger system is called Expeditionary Deployable Oxygen Concentration System (EDOCS) 120B that can support up to 40 patients simultaneously and just needs an external power supply. Just five such systems would be sufficient to immediately create a 200-bed hospital with a constant oxygen supply.Another system in use is the battlefield portable oxygen generator that can supply 3-5 litres of oxygen to a patient every minute. Thousands of such generators have been acquired by the US Military for frontline troops and for casualty transport. These portable generators never run out of supply as they directly concentrate oxygen from air to the patient.
from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3ezefrV
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