[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 110 (Monday, July 23, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN:
  S. 3418. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to require the 
Secretary of Defense to use only human-based methods for training 
members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of severe combat injuries; 
to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss military medical 
training, and specifically, the use of live animals in trauma training.
  Many Americans may be unaware that the Military still uses live pigs 
and goats in combat trauma training courses to train military personnel 
to treat battlefield injuries. This is an outdated and inefficient 
training method that does not fully prepare doctors and medics to treat 
wounded service members.
  For many years, medical simulation has not been able to provide a 
training experience superior to animal-based live tissue training, but 
the newest generation of simulators can do just that. These simulators 
are based on human anatomy and recreate the feeling, the sights, and 
the sounds of treating a wounded service member.
  In current military training, live pigs and goats are anesthetized 
while trainees perform critical procedures on them. In some cases, the 
animals are shot in the face or have limbs amputated while the trainees 
are instructed to keep them alive as long as possible. This is 
inhumane, but more importantly, it is like comparing apples and 
oranges--this does not teach service members how to treat a human 
soldier, only how to operate on a goat or pig. And while live tissue 
training has some value in getting trainees accustomed to the sight of 
blood, medical simulation can now do the same, and has become the new 
gold standard.
  In civilian medical training courses, which teach many of the same 
procedures as the military, simulators have almost universally replaced 
the use of live animals. The reason for this is simple; to learn how to 
treat human injuries, you must learn on human anatomy. Medical 
simulation can now replicate that anatomy while providing the emotional 
and psychological pressure of working on a living, wounded soldier.
  Let me say that I applaud the investments that the Department of 
Defense has made in the area of simulation. No one has invested more in 
simulation technology than the Military. But the problem that I see is 
that despite millions of dollars in investments, simulator technology 
is not being fully utilized.
  Speaking of costs, in addition to providing superior training and 
reducing animal suffering, a move away from live tissue training would 
save taxpayer dollars. Due to the many hidden costs of animal use, such 
as housing and feeding the animals, purchasing drugs for euthanasia and 
anesthesia, and keeping a veterinarian on staff, simulation can offer a 
better training experience at a lower cost.
  But at the end of the day this is about providing the best possible 
training for our troops, because in military medicine the difference 
between the best training and the next best can literally mean the 
difference between life and death.
  For these reasons I introduced today the Battlefield Excellence 
through Superior Training Practices, or BEST Practices Act. This 
legislation lays out a timeline for the Department of Defense to 
develop and fully implement innovative simulator technology in medical 
training, and to phase out live tissue training on animals in the 
process.
  I want to note that I designed this legislation with a specific 
waiver authority for the Secretary of Defense, so that if there is a 
specific procedure that can only be best taught with live tissue use, 
that option is not removed. But the BEST Practices Act is primarily 
designed to engage the Pentagon to embrace this technology, continue 
further development, and incorporate this technology in military 
training in all cases where simulators provide the best result.
  Just as we have seen with other technologies, the advancements in 
medical simulation are increasing at an exponential rate. The 
capabilities currently in place and under development are truly 
amazing. The BEST Practices Act capitalizes on these present and future 
capabilities, and uses them to save the lives of our service members.
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