Riyadh, February 18, 2020, SPA -- Chief of General Staff General Fayyadh Al-Ruwaili inaugurated here today the First International Conference on Military Medicine and the 11th Saudi Critical Care Society (SCCS) International Critical Care Conference, being held with the participation of the European Society for Intensive Care; the American Association of Critical Care; researchers from the world's leading universities; Saudi specialists; and armies of Gulf, Arab, Islamic and friendly countries. Director General of Medical Services of the Armed Forces Brigadier Yasser bin Hussain Mandourah stated during a speech at the opening ceremony that the conference is the foundation stone for establishing military medicine in its promising new form to serve the Ministry of Defense in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, GCC states and the Arab and Islamic coalition. He added that it will be among one of many future efforts being undertaken by the Presidency of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense within the program of developing the Ministry of Defense according to the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense to advance scientific research in military medicine. He also pointed out that the conference will be the birth of the modern concept of military medicine in the Ministry of Defense in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with international standards in three main axes: field medicine, aviation medicine, and marine medicine, in addition to specialties assisting in military medical evacuation and defense against weapons of mass destruction within a common national defense strategy. --SPA 14:55 LOCAL TIME 11:55 GMT 0011 www.spa.gov.sa/w1268699