text: Army Health System Overview
  PROXIMITY
  1-25. Proximity is to provide AHS support to sick, injured, and wounded Soldiers at the right time and the
  right place and to keep morbidity and mortality to a minimum. Army Health System support assets are placed
  within supporting distance of the maneuver forces which they are supporting, but not close enough to impede
  ongoing operations. To support the operational commander’s plan, it is essential that AHS assets are
  positioned to rapidly locate, acquire, treat, stabilize, and evacuate combat casualties. Peak workloads for
  AHS resources occur during combat operations.
  FLEXIBILITY
  1-26. Flexibility is being prepared to, and empowered to, shift AHS resources to meet changing
  requirements. Changes in plans or operations make flexibility in AHS planning and execution essential. In
  addition to building flexibility into the OPLAN to support the commander’s scheme of maneuver, the medical
  commander must also ensure that he has the flexibility to rapidly support the transition from one level of
  violence to another across the competition continuum (cooperation, competition below armed conflict, and
  armed conflict). Medical commanders may be supporting simultaneous actions characterized by decisive
  action elements- offensive, defensive, and stability. The medical commanders exercise their command
  authority to effectively manage their scarce medical resources so that they benefit the greatest number of
  Soldiers. For example, there are insufficient numbers of forward surgical teams (FSTs) or forward
  resuscitative surgical detachments (FRSDs) to permit the habitual assignment of these organizations to each
  brigade combat team (BCT). Therefore, the medical commander, in conjunction with the command surgeon,
  closely monitors these valuable assets so that he can rapidly reallocate or recommend the reallocation of this
  lifesaving skill to the BCTs in contact with the enemy and where the highest number of Soldiers will
  potentially receive traumatic wounds and injuries. Prolonged combat, intense engagements, and LSCO
  diminish unit combat effectiveness. When a medical unit is degraded to become combat ineffective and no
  longer able to provide AHS support effectively, reconstitution may be required.
  1-27. Reconstitution consists of those actions that commanders plan and implement to restore units to a
  desired level of combat effectiveness commensurate with mission requirements and available resources (ATP
  3-21.20). Reconstitution may include: removing a unit from combat, assessing it with external assets,
  reestablishing a chain of command, training a unit for future operations, and reestablishing unit cohesion.
  For more information on reconstitution, refer to FM 4-0 and ADP 3-90.
  1-28. Maximizing the return to duty rate of injured or ill personnel in forward operating units is a major
  portion of the AHS contribution to the reconstitution effort. Maximizing the return to duty rate of combat
  Soldiers contributes to the pool of personnel available for reconstitution of degraded units.
  MOBILITY
  1-29. Mobility is the principle that ensures that AHS assets remain in supporting distance to support
  maneuvering forces. The mobility, survivability (such as armor plating), and sustainability of AHS units
  organic to maneuver elements must be equal to the forces being supported. Major AHS headquarters in
  echelons above brigade (EAB) continually assess and forecast unit movement and redeployment. Army
  Health System support must be continually responsive to shifting medical requirements in an OE. In
  noncontiguous operations, the use of ground ambulances may be limited depending on the security threat in
  unassigned areas and air ambulance use may be limited by environmental conditions and enemy air defense
  threat. Therefore, to facilitate a continuous evacuation flow, MEDEVAC must be a synchronized effort to
  ensure timely, responsive, and effective support is provided to the tactical commander. The only means
  available to increase the mobility of AHS units is to evacuate all patients they are holding. Army Health
  System units anticipating an influx of patients must medically evacuate patients they have on hand prior to
  the start of the engagement.
  CONTINUITY
  1-30. Continuity in care and treatment is achieved by moving the patient through progressive, phased roles
  of care, extending from the POI or wounding to the CONUS-support base. Continuity of care refers to an