Discuss the Department of the Army (2020) describes the AML as “the Army’s specialized theater laboratory that deploys worldwide.

reply to: As we prepare for operations against near peer adversaries, it is critical to consider how Army medicine fits into the greater joint service environment. Shaping activities are a vital part of this effort. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2017), “The purpose of shaping activities is to help set the conditions for successful execution of the operation” (p. V-8). A successful operation requires the coordination and cooperation of several distinct entities, both civilian and military alike. These entities may also include agencies and departments of the United States government, coalition forces, and the host nation. Activities associated with shaping are often continuous, sometimes persisting after an operation’s completion (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2017, pp. V-8-V-9).In a foreign area of operations, medical laboratory services can often play an important role as one of the ten medical functions identified as part of shaping. In addition to the obvious clinical laboratory support function to aid hospitals, laboratory professionals can serve several important roles in shaping. Medical laboratory services may be underdeveloped or even nearly destroyed by combat operations. Hearts and minds can be won by helping to fill in these gaps in the host nation’s infrastructure, and training their personnel in the latest medical laboratory techniques.Another important component of the medical laboratory service’s function is that of the Area Medical Laboratory (AML). The Department of the Army (2020) describes the AML as “the Army’s specialized theater laboratory that deploys worldwide…to perform surveillance, analytical laboratory testing, and health hazard assessments of environmental, occupational, endemic, and CBRN threats in support of Soldier protection and weapons of mass destruction missions” (p. 168). The testing capabilities of the AML provide the data that commanders need to make appropriate decisions while performing shaping activities, whether that be minimizing risks to deployed Soldiers, or confirming that chemical or biological agents have been deployed by adversaries (Department of the Army, 2020, p. 162).References:Joint Chiefs of Staff (2017). Joint Operations (JP 3-0). Retrieved from https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_0ch1.pdfDepartment of the Army (2020). Army Health System Doctrine Smart Book. Retrieved from https://medicalservicecorps.amedd.army.mil/leader_dev/Army_Health_System_Doctrine_Smart_Book_7February2020.pdf