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Invited review
Exploring the global health and defence engagement interface
  1. John Whitaker1,2,3,
  2. R Rickard3,
  3. A Leather2 and
  4. J Davies1,4,5
  1. 1Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
  2. 2School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
  3. 3Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK
  4. 4Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  5. 5Department of Global Surgery, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  1. Correspondence to John Whitaker, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK; j.whitaker{at}bham.ac.uk

Abstract

Militaries have an important and inevitable role in global health and will interface with existing health systems on deployments. While the primary concern of militaries is not global health, there are clear, and increasingly frequent, circumstances when global health activities align with the interests of defence. Recognising this link between global health and security warrants thoughtful consideration and action where concerns affecting both intersect. In addition to providing medical support to military personnel on operations, advantageous effects can be achieved directly from military medical activities as part of Defence Engagement. While there are limitations and ethical boundaries to the role of militaries in global health, further training, research and conceptual development are warranted to optimise military medical activity at the intersection of security and global health to deliver advantageous effects. This paper forms part of a special issue of BMJ Military Health dedicated to Defence Engagement.

  • health services administration & management
  • education & training (see medical education & training)
  • health policy
  • international health services
  • organisation of health services
  • organisational development

https://doi.org/10.1136/military-2023-002497

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    Footnotes

    • AL and JD are joint senior authors.

    • Contributors JW, RR, AL and JD conceived of the article. JW wrote the first draft. All authors have contributed to revisions, reviewed and approve of the final draft.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.