The Department of Defense (DOD) must be prepared to deal with the most likely contingency situations. In developing plans, certain medical factors must be considered. One of these is mobilization time. In prior conflicts, we had sufficient time to expand the military medical system to meet the needs of military operations. We did this by organizing medical units, building hospitals, and training personnel. But, given the high state of readiness and mobility of current combat forces, a future conventional conflict could begin with very little warning. If the USA were to be involved in this kind of a situation, our military forces would have to be supported with our present medical capabilities.