Military surgery: certification is long overdue.

Military surgery is a complex discipline that has progressed far beyond triage and the debridement of battle wounds. The evolution of modern warfare now demands that the combat surgeon be knowledgeable in military tactics, logistics, transport of personnel, trauma surgery, tropical medicine, public health, industrial medicine, and special weapons, as well as have a familiarity with the organizational structure and culture of the military services. This complexity qualifies military surgery as a subspecialty of surgery according to the criteria of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Accreditation of military surgery as a defined specialty should be sought because that recognition will produce better care for our troops, improve education of military medical personnel, and stimulate research.