Shaping the medical environment in Kosovo through engagement.

Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo represents one type of military operation that the United States and other nations could be engaged in during the next 25 years. These military operations also carry unique challenges to a senior medical officer (or medical task force commander). In Kosovo, the senior medical officer had to help shape the medical environment as the military coalition sought to restore a safe and secure environment. This article discusses medical engagement strategies specific to Kosovo, where helping to shape the medical environment demanded that the senior medical officer engage with other coalition nations, United Nations (U.N.) agencies, and selected Kosovar health care providers. Successful implementation of the U.N. health care strategy is one of the key elements of U.N. success and the military coalition's exit from Kosovo. The goal of this report is to form a template for medical engagement strategies that a future senior medical officer may use in other similar military operations.