US Army urges adoption of Israeli battlefield medicine as IDF cuts casualty deaths by half - report

The US Army is recommending that American military medical teams study and adopt Israeli battlefield medicine techniques after the IDF reduced the mortality rate among combat casualties by more than half, Fox News reported, citing IDF data and an official US Army report.

Advances in combat medicine developed by the IDF in recent years have helped significantly reduce deaths among soldiers wounded in battle. The US military is now urging a closer examination of these Israeli methods ahead of future conflicts.

According to data presented to Fox News, the mortality rate among combat casualties stood at approximately 15% during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, compared with 7.1% during the Swords of Iron War.

The US report cited nearly identical figures, showing a decline from 14.8% in 2006 to 7.1% in 2024, despite a significant increase in the proportion of wounded soldiers suffering severe injuries.

One of the most important changes has been a dramatic reduction in the time required to deliver advanced medical treatment to wounded soldiers.

According to a senior IDF combat medicine expert, during the Second Lebanon War, it took between 15 and 20 minutes for advanced medical care to reach a wounded soldier. Currently, such treatment can be administered immediately or within just four minutes.

Positioning medical personnel closer to combat troops, rapidly evacuating casualties by helicopter, and making medical decisions directly on the battlefield are considered key factors behind the improvement.

IDF expands use of blood units on battlefield

The IDF has also expanded the use of blood products on the battlefield, according to the Fox News report. Since 2013, greater emphasis has been placed on rapidly treating hemorrhages, including administering plasma at the point of injury.

Blood units are transported to forward positions in refrigerated containers carried by medical teams, allowing treatment to begin before wounded soldiers are evacuated to a hospital.

In its 78-page report, titled "Israeli Defense Force Medical Lessons Learned," the US Army warned that Israel had been forced to make painful adjustments during active combat, but that the American military now has an opportunity to learn from that experience in advance.

"The time to prepare is now," the report stated, emphasizing that clinical and tactical knowledge alone is insufficient.

The authors recommended studying Israel's medical evacuation systems, medical data collection, preventive medicine practices, and ability to continue providing advanced medical treatment under high-intensity combat conditions.