US Army Improved First Aid Kit

Soldier with Improved First Aid Kit, 2005
Soldier with Improved First Aid Kit, 2005.

Today in WW II: 21 Jan 1942 Rommel's second offensive drives the British 8th Army back almost 300 miles, halting on 4 Feb between Gazala and Bir Hacheim, 30 miles west of Tobruk, Libya.   

U.S. Army Improved First Aid Kit (2005)

U.S. Army Improved First Aid Kit
Improved First Aid Kit (some NSNs in this image are incorrect)

For many years the first aid kit carried by individual soldiers was the Carlisle Dressing or Battle Dressing, little more than a bandage with which to attempt to stop bleeding. In 2005 the U.S. Army standardized the Improved First Aid Kit (IFAK), which, in conjunction with proper training, will greatly increase force effectiveness by increasing the potential of survival for combat casualties. Specifically, the kit provides enhanced capabilities for Self-Aid/Buddy-Aid to immediately treat the two most urgent medical crises faced by battlefield casualties:

  • Exsanguinations (bleeding) from an extremity wound
  • Airway occlusion

The Improved First Aid Kit began reaching soldiers in the firld in late 2005 and early 2006.

Components of the Improved First Aid Kit

The IFAK is a self-contained assembly in a MOLLE PALS utility pouch. The full kit is NSN 6545-01-530-0929 and its components are:

Pouch, Improved First Aid Kit
Pouch, Improved First Aid Kit

NSN Nomenclature
6515-01-521-7976 Tourniquet, Combat Application
6510-01-492-2275 Bandage Kit, Elastic
6510-00-058-3047 Bandage Gauze 4-1/2" 100’s Pkg
6510-00-926-8883 Adhesive Tape Surg 2" 6’s Roll
6515-01-180-0467 Airway, Nasopharyngeal
6515-01-364-8553 Glove, Patient Exam 100’s Pkg (4)
6545-01-531-3647 Pouch, IFAK
6545-01-531-3147 Insert, IFAK (folding panels, cord attached)

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