Strengthening civil-military healthcare preparedness and response

 

The National Workshop is part of a service contract procured by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) on behalf of the European Commission (EC). The acronym EPIC11, i.e. Emergency Preparedness Integrated Courses carried out under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on serious cross-border threats to health (SCBTH) (hereafter ‘the Regulation’), was coined to facilitate the referencing to this service contract during the project’s implementation. EPIC11 focuses on providing prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) training for SCBTH in EU Member States and European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The EPIC11 project was devised in response to the HaDEA and the EC’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) call for tenders HaDEA/2022/OP/0017 on ‘EU preparedness: analysis, planning, reporting and training programmes for health specialists’.

One of the operational objectives is to strengthen PPR planning with targeted training and knowledge-exchange activities for healthcare and public health staff (Article 11 of the Regulation).

The aim of the EPIC11 project is to develop an EU Health Preparedness Training Programme that responds to the needs of PPR planners, managers and practitioners, and which addresses current gaps in EU Member States and EEA countries in relation to PPR planning. This EU Health Preparedness Training Programme complements existing training programmes developed and managed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the EC’s policy departments (DGs), such as SANTE, HERA, ECHO and others, as well as joint actions, various EU-level projects, universities, training institutes and national institutions.

EPIC11 is implemented by GFA Consulting Group GmbH (DE) and its partners: KIT Royal Tropical Institute (NL) and Think Modular (AT).

The overall project vision is to strengthen PPR capacities for future public health emergencies within and across countries through training. The EU Health Preparedness Training Programme will support EU Member States and EEA countries to:

• build knowledge and skills for more resilient management of health crises; and
• strengthen communication, collaboration and coordination within and between countries.

The foundation of the EU Health Preparedness Training Programme is based on a multihazard approach to health threats in a cross-sectoral and cross-border setting, focusing on SCBTH. 

This concept note outlines the National Workshop in France, which will take place in Paris on 5–6 November 2025 and will focus on civil-military national medical preparedness and response.

Aims and objectives

This workshop aims to consolidate the civil-military planning efforts and strengthen the healthcare service preparedness for the care of sick and wounded military personnel, as formalised in the national vademecum, in the context of a Major Engagement Hypothesis (HEM). Specifically, the objectives of the National Workshop are to:

• strengthen collaboration between civilian and military actors to improve national and European PPR in alignment with Regulation (EU) 2022/2371;
• raise awareness and provide training for Regional Health Agencies (ARS) and civilian healthcare professionals on the challenges of healthcare service preparedness and response to support armed forces during a major engagement;
• discuss how to best strengthen national plans and procedures for the medical care of mass casualties, including consideration of the impact and specific needs related to the care of sick and wounded military personnel;
• learn from the experiences and best practices of other European countries.

This National Workshop is organised and hosted by the Ministry of Health in France, in collaboration with EPIC11. The objectives and methodology of the workshop have been developed in consultation with and endorsed by the host organisation. The aims, programme and terminology used in this document align with the host organisation’s preferences and strategic priorities.

Methodology

The National Workshop will be conducted in person. The workshop will be conducted in French, except for sessions delivered by international speakers, which will be held in English.

The structure is designed to balance strategic discussions with collaborative work sessions, encouraging both knowledge-sharing and practical planning.

Participants will receive preparatory materials in advance (see section 6 below), to ensure a shared understanding of the key concepts and reference documents.

• Day 1 will be dedicated to:
  • a presentation of the national vademecum and the civil-military national medical support system, outlining the general framework and doctrine for civil-military medical coordination during serious threats to health;
  • a discussion of experiences and best practices of invited European countries;
  • a tabletop simulation exercise (serious game) to demonstrate the application of the principles introduced earlier, simulate real-time decision-making and identify coordination challenges in a crisis scenario.
• Day 2 will be dedicated to thematic workshops, and will focus on the concepts, plans and the vademecum, identifying areas for improvement and formulating proposals to strengthen and refine the national framework based on the outcomes of the simulation and participants’ experiences.

This format ensures that all participants gain both a strategic overview of, and a collaborative space in which to contribute to, the evolution of civil-military medical preparedness in France. It will also produce a clearer picture of the gaps and challenges that need to be addressed to improve PPR strategies and plans.

Target audience

The National Workshop will gather circa 45 participants from various sectors involved in health crisis preparedness and medical support planning. Specifically, the workshop targets:

• civilian healthcare professionals, including hospital managers, emergency medical coordinators and public health officials, who may be mobilised to support the armed forces;
• Regional Health Agencies (ARS) from each of France’s seven defence zones, with representatives responsible for regional preparedness and response plans in an event of major military engagement;
• military medical personnel, focused on planning and coordinating with civilian health actors;
• European partners, to foster cross-border exchanges and promote a shared medical and scientific culture across the EU.

Preparatory materials

Participants are advised to read:

• guide_orsan_2024.pdf; and
• the new national directive on civil-military national medical support system (in progress, to be distributed closer to the workshop).

Outcomes

The National Workshop will focus on strengthening national civil-military medical planning for PPR to serious threats to health, including mass casualties. Specifically, the workshop is expected to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Refining the national medical care strategies and plans for dealing with sick and wounded military personnel and mass casualties, formalised in a vademecum, tailored for a Major Engagement scenario (Hypothèse d'Engagement Majeur; HEM).
2. Consolidating national civil-military planning and enhancing coordination between civilian and military healthcare systems for large-scale health crises.
3. Defining a transit medical centre (TMC/medical hub), dealing with preparedness, including stockpiles and resource allocation.
4. Identifying gaps in civil-military coordination through a simulation exercise and identifying the gaps and challenges that need to be addressed to improve the PPR strategies and plans.
5. Sharing of best practices with European countries to strengthen cross-border cooperation.
6. Establishing future training objectives to align civilian and military healthcare actors.

Evaluation

While the workshop’s expected outcomes are long term and tied to enhanced preparedness and collaboration, participant satisfaction is a critical indicator of the workshop’s effectiveness in meeting its objectives. The evaluation of the National Workshop will focus on assessing participants’ satisfaction through a short survey conducted at the end of the event, which aims to gather immediate feedback on the workshop’s organisation, content relevance and overall delivery.

Role within EPIC11

The National Workshops help the EPIC11 team improve the EU Health Preparedness Training Programme by building a better understanding of priorities, strengths and weaknesses of PPR plans in different countries. The National Workshops develop direct knowledge and skills for more resilient emergency management, and strengthen communication, collaboration and coordination within and between countries, both of which are key objectives of the EPIC11 project.