1st Area Medical Laboratory Renamed to Reflect Global Mission
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The U.S. Army’s 1st Area Medical Laboratory, a deployable medical laboratory, has been renamed the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory to better reflect its global mission. The laboratory, part of the 44th Medical Brigade and 20th CBRNE Command, performs surveillance, laboratory testing, and health hazard assessments of environmental, occupational, endemic disease and CBRNE threats. The laboratory, which was activated in 1942, has served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and was instrumental in containing the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014-2015, and supporting the COVID-19 response in various overseas locations.
US Army Lab’s New Global Role Reflected in Renaming
The 1st Area Medical Laboratory, a deployable US Army medical laboratory located in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has been renamed as the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory. Announced on October 16, this change aligns with the 20-year anniversary of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, which oversees the laboratory’s training readiness. The lab is part of the 44th Medical Brigade and the 20th CBRNE Command, which operates from 19 bases in 16 states and regularly deploys to confront global hazards in support of joint, interagency, and multinational operations.
The 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory undertakes surveillance, lab testing, and health hazard assessments, focusing on environmental, occupational, endemic disease, and CBRNE threats. These activities support force protection and Weapons of Mass Destruction missions. The lab’s global reach is demonstrated by its service in various international arenas since its activation in 1942, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. More recently, it has contributed to the containment of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014-2015 and provided support to the COVID-19 response at US military hospitals in Germany, South Korea, and Japan.
Through its many overseas missions, the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory has built partnerships with numerous countries, such as Australia, Germany, Poland, South Korea, Romania, and Ukraine. Col. Dubray Kinney Sr., the commander of the 1st Global Field Medical Laboratory, stated that the new name better encapsulates the unit’s global mission of saving lives and facilitating mission readiness
Col. Kinney affirmed the importance of their work, saying, “Our Lab Dragons make a difference around the world. Our new name represents the vital mission that our Soldiers accomplish every day in defense of our nation.”
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