ACCRA, Ghana — The Medical Readiness Exercise (MEDREX) 2026 officially commenced April 20 at the Ghana Armed Forces’ 37th Military Hospital in Accra, Ghana, marking the latest iteration of a growing partnership between U.S. and Ghanaian military medical professionals. MEDREX is part of overall African Lion 2026 exercise taking place simultaneously.
The MEDREX officially kicked off with a senior leader engagement at Camp Birma, where the U.S. MEDREX-26 team met with Ghanaian Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Evelyn Vivian Abraham-Kwabiah, commander of the 37th Military Hospital and director general of Ghana Armed Forces Health Services. Abraham-Kwabiah welcomed the team and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and partnership.
Abraham-Kwabiah’s remarks were followed by comments from U.S. Army Col. (Dr.) Claude Burnett, the MEDREX-26 senior medical officer and director of Global Health Engagement at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
“As always, we look forward to taking part in this annual exercise and strengthening our readiness and partnership with our Ghanaian medical partners,” said Burnett. “It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to share information and learn from each other.”
The U.S. contingent also was welcomed by Ghanaian Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Clement Laryea, head of pulmonology and critical care for Ghanian Armed Forces Medical.
Following introductions, the contingent moved to the 37th Military Hospital for the formal opening ceremony, where Ghanaian Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Richard Naab presided on behalf of Abraham-Kwabiah.
After welcoming remarks and introductions of Ghanaian clinical leadership, Burnett delivered remarks on behalf of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa; U.S. Africa Command; and supporting units, including the Medical Readiness Command, Europe, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the North Dakota National Guard.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the entire Ghanaian military team for providing such a warm welcome to our team,” added Burnett. “Together, our goal is to strengthen interoperability, exchange knowledge with each other and build upon lessons learned from previous exercises.”
MEDREX-26 brings together 25 U.S. military active-duty medical professionals and 5 members of the North Dakota National Guard, working alongside Ghana Armed Forces personnel across multiple specialties, including surgery, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, critical care, anesthesia, rehabilitation and dentistry.
Over the next few weeks, the U.S. medical teams will train and deliver care in a collaborative, hands-on environment.
According to senior military medical officials, MEDREX is more than just a training event. It represents the intersection of medical readiness and global health engagement and is designed to enhance clinical proficiency in austere environments while strengthening interoperability. The exercise also enables U.S. and partner-nation forces to exchange knowledge, refine critical wartime medical skills and build enduring professional relationships.
“Conducted elbow-to-elbow, these engagements foster trust, adaptability and shared capability in real-world conditions,” added Burnett.
Now in its third year of support from Medical Readiness Command-Europe, MEDREX continues to demonstrate the deepening partnership between the U.S. and Ghana Armed Forces Medical Services.
“Each year builds on the last, generating tangible readiness gains while reinforcing a mutual commitment to improving care for their service members and local communities,” said Burnett.
As part of African Lion 2026, the medical readiness exercise also contributes to broader regional efforts to enhance multinational readiness, interoperability and security cooperation across the African continent.
