Military veterinarians meet in South Korea, France

Military veterinarians from 14 countries attended the 55th International Military Veterinary Medical Symposium in Marseille, France. Pictured are, from left: Lt. Col. Dietmar Rackl of Austria, Lt. Col. Emil Hanzen of Croatia, Maj. Branko Dolenc of Slovenia, Maj. Hassan Fassil of Morocco, Col. Niels Nielsen of Denmark, Col. Bas Steltenpool of the Netherlands, Brig. Gen. Theresa Casey of the U.S. Air Force, Lt. Gen. Jean-Yves Kervella of France, Brig. Gen. Timothy Adams of the U.S. Army, Brig. Gen. Giuseppe Vilardo of Italy, Col. Martin Hoffmeister of Germany, Col. Rysard Jeleniewicz of Poland, Lt. Col. Miguel Stevens of Belgium, and Col. Odd Knaevelsrud of Norway (not shown, Dr. Mika Aho of Finland)(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Leslie Angulo)

The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps chief recently spoke in South Korea and France about the U.S. military's role in international aid and in emergency response.

Brig. Gen. Timothy Adams was among 36 veterinarians from Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, and the United States who attended the 19th annual Asia Pacific Military Medical Conference in April in Seoul, South Korea. He was also among military veterinarians from at least 15 countries who attended the 55th International Military Veterinary Medical Symposium in May in Marseille, France.

During the event in South Korea, Brig. Gen. Adams talked about future changes to the Army Medical Department, clinical initiatives related to post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and cooperation between military and civilian health care networks in the U.S. during emergencies.

During the event in France, he talked about the need for partnerships among veterinarians from the U.S. Army and other services, agencies, and nations.

"The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps has a key role in military medicine and stability operations, as well as humanitarian assistance in today's world," Brig. Gen. Adams said, according to an Army press release.

Dr. James O. Cook, AVMA president, was also a speaker at the Marseille symposium, and he talked about how the work of military veterinarians illustrates the interaction of animal, human, and environmental health and promotes the one-health initiative on a daily basis.