Tactical Medicine Center

Here, platoon combat medics are trained, and combat medicine instructors undergo advanced training at Levels I and II. Established in 2017 on the premises of the 159th Training Center of the Medical Forces Command of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, the сenter gradually expanded its operations. Since the start of the full-scale war, it has conducted over 30 courses and trained more than 10,000 combat medics.

The сenter’s instructors are professional military personnel and mobilized medical personnel with combat experience. They all regularly update their skills at conferences, forums, and workshops. Most of the instructors have received tactical medicine training abroad.

The сenter also employs instructors who previously underwent training there. For example, after completing his training, Matt deployed to the front lines, where he saved his comrades’ lives. During one combat mission, despite being wounded, he managed to treat both himself and two of his comrades. He later returned to the training center as an instructor.

An instructor known by the call sign “Mayak” received his combat medic certification back in 2023. While taking the course, he became interested in becoming an instructor, but then returned to his comrades in the east. Mayak served as a combat medic in a counter-sabotage unit, honing his skills and gaining combat experience. In 2025, he finally decided to try his hand at being an instructor to share his experience with others. Today, Mayak trains effective combat medics, thereby strengthening the combat capability of the Ukrainian army.

The Tactical Medicine Center offers the following programs:

• Professional training for platoon combat medics.
• Advanced training courses for tactical medicine instructors at Levels I and II.
• Field courses at training ranges as part of mobile training groups to train units in tactical pre-hospital care.
• Certification for the “Platoon Combat Medic” specialty following training abroad.

The “Platoon Combat Medic” course consists of 360 training hours. Of these, theory accounts for only 96; the rest is dedicated to practical training, simulation exercises, and independent study.

The Come Back Alive Foundation systematically supports the 159th Training Center of the Medical Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and has already provided it with over 18 million hryvnias in assistance. This includes classroom equipment, renovation work on the center’s premises, and the purchase of manikins, training equipment, tool kits, consumables, and more.

Below are photos from the project handovers: