Federal Health Seminar Debuts Innovative Large-Scale Combat Operations Simulation
On April 30, Army-Baylor University's Graduate Program in Health and Business Administration introduced an innovative addition to its Federal Health Seminar curriculum with a half-day large-scale combat operations simulation. To our knowledge, this was the first exercise of its kind designed specifically to develop healthcare administrators in their operational and combat support roles. All 28 didactic-year students participated in the event, designated Operation Resolute Care, which immersed them in the complex realities of leading within the Military Health System during a major conflict.
Set in a present-day scenario involving simultaneous military operations across multiple theaters, students faced the challenges of a rapidly escalating conflict against a fictional near-peer adversary. The exercise simulated a military health system under significant strain, requiring participants to manage the effects of large workforce reductions at military treatment facilities while responding to a surge of wounded service members evacuated from combat zones. Students were tasked with applying administrative and leadership skills to anticipate staffing shortages, allocate resources, manage blood product availability, and maintain continuity of care for both operational casualties and existing beneficiary populations.
Students were organized into teams representing the senior leadership of fictional military treatment facilities and assigned executive-level roles spanning clinical operations, administration, nursing, patient administration, and command. Working in joint teams composed of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard students, participants were often placed in roles outside their normal professional experience, challenging them to think beyond their usual responsibilities. As the scenario progressed through multiple rounds of escalating complexity, teams were required to balance competing demands involving staffing, patient movement, resource allocation, financial constraints, and coordination with military and civilian partners. Faculty facilitators acted as higher headquarters throughout the exercise, requiring students to defend recommendations and adapt to evolving operational conditions, reinforcing the leadership, communication, and decision-making skills essential to healthcare administration during large-scale combat operations.
Designed and led by Lt. Col. Brian Downs, assistant professor, the exercise exemplified Army-Baylor University's commitment to bringing the latest developments in military medicine and federal healthcare leadership into the classroom. By combining operational realism and strategic decision-making, the simulation provided students with a unique opportunity to experience the demands of healthcare administration during large-scale combat operations. The event represents an important innovation in the curriculum and reflects the program's continued focus on preparing future federal health leaders for the complex challenges they may face in their future service.
