THE US DEFENCE Department is campaigning for every major US hospital to set aside a minimum of 50 beds to supplement military medical facilities in the event of a major war overseas. Nuclear war is included among the possible justifications for this programme.
DAVY JONES looks at Reagan's preparations for a limited nuclear war in Europe.
The Civilian-Military Contingency Hospital System (CMCHS) was launched by the Defence bandrook entitled na handbook entitled Combat, In the Community, Saving Lives It explains role as follows: 'CMCHS is a mechanism which will prepare our nation medically support a future major conflict outside the *Because of technical advances in weaponry and the great mobility of armies today, a future largescale war overseas will probably begin and end very rapidly. produce asualties at a higher rate than other Wit historv.
Thus we have created the CMCHS, which provides a mechanism for civilian hospitals to agree in advance to supplement the military capability carly in any large-scale future The handbook goes on to explain how the civilian medical facilities harnessed by the CMCHS would co-ordinated by area military medical commanders. explains that some 50,000 beds in all are sought for the CMCHS programme for US casualties from such a war in Europe.
A response from the US Department of Defence to an inquiry concerning possible nuclear conflict states: The most likely scenario for a future military conflict would be in an overscas arca using conventional weapons.
This does not rule out the possibility that such a war could escalate to a tactical nuclear exchange and planning must of consider that possibility.
states: it is possible, ot that such a war could escalate to the use of chemical or tactical nuclear weapons within a combat theatre. believed however that any casualties resulting from such an escalation could be accommodated by our present military iealth care system and through the CMCHS framework.
The US Defence Department by March this year had persuaded some 433 hospitals to participate programme, providing over 30,000 COSI of this massive operation in reimcentres for their charg The cash could only come Pentagon's military budget year there was considerable publicits given to the remarks of Reagan and Sure Hair of State Alexabout the possibility of limited war in Europe through the use of tactical lucical weapons These 'tactical' nuclear weapons are defined as those of 20 to 25 megatons. To grasp the awesome scope of this limited" war it is enough recall that the Hiroshita was eightieth of a megaton.
The CMCHS programme clearly illustrates that detailed planning. 1500% being made by the Reagan The T-shirt to be seen in this summer! Just the thing administration for this NOTTCTCOUS military tion. Opponents of CMCHS programme within the US medical profession has been led by -the Physicians for Responsibility (PSR).
The PSR Cans Una the Defence Department's nints at TENC STELE character of casualties envisaged strongly imply limited overseas use of weaDons. SHIC their hypothetical casualty list shows 'a predominance of blast and thermal injuries" of a kind incurred in a nuclear exchange.
They also point out that the number hospital beds envisaged (an unknown proportion 85,000 Veterans' Administration beds, SUIC 20,000 Defence Department beds plus further 7,000 for war time, the CMCHS) 162,000, which is more than the number of hospitalised casualties in the 15 years of the VietThe PSR's campaign has had some eitect. number of hospitals, including the University of California and Stanford University, as local regional bodies have refused to participate in Reagan's war preparations Many of those opposing the CMCHS scheme have allened that its tung tion is to accustom the public to and preparations for so-called limited nuclear war in Europe', They point out that preparations for dealing WItn casualties from such a catastrophe are about as useful as our own Ministry of Defence's SETOLEEI Survive handbook, with its tips on makeshift fallout shelters made of old doors. SAVING LIVEE... TOGETHER point for the PSR by recounting the case of a casualty with third degree burns over 85 the body roughly similar to cent of nuclear casualty proportions.
In a special burns unit he received units of fresh frozen blood plasma units cells units platelets and 36 of serum albumin. After six surgical procedures and a vast of drugs, Ile supporting technology and specialist attention roundthe-clock the patient died on the 33rd day chance the 150.000 other Socialists and peace campaigners HAVE been joined by many specialists and experts in questioning the very idea of a limited nuclear war Europe' Even former US Secretary of Defence Harold Brown and former Presidential Science Advisor and weapons' expert George Kistiakowsky have argued that once nuclear weapons are used the parties in the wil be driven To the use of strategic nuclear subjecting former Pentagon planner We fought World War One in Europe; we fought World War Two in Europe and if you dummies will let us we wil Rear Admiral Gene La Rocque,
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casualties che CMCHS seramme