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US military to stop shooting pigs and goats as a way to train medics for the battlefield

This year, the U.S. military will stop shooting pigs and goats to prepare military medics and corpsmen for combat care, a ban included in this year's annual defense bill and championed by Rep. Vern Buchanan, Florida Republican.
Advocates and experts argue simulators and `cut suits` better mimic injured humans, while Rep. Vern Buchanan, Florida Republican, and the Government Accountability Office urged shifting to human-relevant training this year.
Medical critics noted anesthetized animals used in training resemble human organs but do little to prepare medics for treating awake, bleeding comrades in realistic scenarios.
The Pentagon referred comment to the Defense Health Agency, which is reviewing the new ban, while Buchanan's office said some training using stabbing and `weapon wounding` on animals will continue.
GAO and earlier statutes record that past defense legislation required transitioning to human-based simulation methods, but uncertainty about frequency of animal use leaves questions about the change's overall scope.

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U.S. military to stop shooting pigs and goats as a way to train medics for the battlefield

The U.S. military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.

12 hours ago·Canada

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