US Defence Department launches battlefield mental health training for combat medics

In a major shift recognising the importance of mental resilience on the front lines, the U.S. Department of Defence has introduced a pioneering programme that trains combat medics to respond to behavioural health crises during combat operations.

The initiative, known as BH-GEAR (Behavioral Health Guidelines for mEdic Assessment and Response), equips medics with tools to identify and manage psychological distress in the field an approach described as a “combat lifesaver for the mind” by programme lead Dr. Katie Nugent, a behavioural health epidemiologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

The programme is part of the Pentagon’s broader readiness initiative, which Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth underscored last month at Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa, Florida. "People matter more than equipment," Hegseth told a ballroom full of service members and defence industry leaders—a message that underscores the ethos behind BH-GEAR.

The training stems from years of research and field interviews. In 2018, Dr. Nugent’s team consulted 23 soldiers, many from special operations forces, to learn what worried them most in remote combat zones where medical help could be days away. Soldiers pointed to quiet panic attacks, persistent insomnia, and unresolved interpersonal tensions as major issues. Fearing they might make matters worse, many medics hesitated to intervene, highlighting the urgent need for structured behavioural health protocols.

BH-GEAR compresses critical skills into a one-day, hands-on course. Through realistic role-playing scenarios, medics are trained to assess a service member’s mental state, including mood, sleep patterns, and risk factors, in under five minutes. The course borrows from the triage mindset traditionally applied to physical injuries, aiming to make mental health assessments just as routine and urgent as treating battlefield wounds.

As the U.S. military prepares for future multi-domain conflicts, this programme represents a vital evolution in battlefield care, one that recognises mental readiness as key to mission success.