Army Medical Service Corps Officer Serves as Liaison to German Military Medical Forces
SEMBACH, Germany — The U.S. Army Medical Command recently established its first medical officer liaison position with the German military’s medical service in Bonn, Germany. Col. Kenneth Spicer, a U.S. Army Medical Service Corps officer, assumed the role in August 2025.
Spicer, a native of Mexico, New York, and a 1998 graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry previously commanded Public Health Command Europe and served as command inspector general for Regional Health Command Europe. He also served as chief of staff for the 68th Theater Medical Command before moving to Bonn.
A career Army Medical Service Corps and Public Health Officer, Spicer brings extensive experience in European theater health operations to the post.
"It was an honor to be selected for this newly created liaison position," Spicer said. "The Bundeswehr really welcomed me as one of its staff officers. I have been consistently impressed by the professionalism, competence, camaraderie, and esprit de corps of my Bundeswehr teammates. I am deeply grateful to my German teammates for the opportunity to serve alongside them and work toward a shared purpose: strengthening collective defense and helping protect the democratic values and freedoms our nations share."
While the Bundeswehr has maintained a military medical liaison with U.S. forces for more than a decade, the new post establishes reciprocal representation.
"In late 2024, amid heightened security concerns in Europe and the need to prepare for potential large-scale operations, senior military medical leaders decided to establish a reciprocal U.S. military medical liaison officer position with the Bundeswehr,” Spicer said.
Senior military medical officials note that Germany plays a central role in allied transit and medical logistics across the continent.
"As a major allied nation in central Europe, Germany is an important transportation and medical-support hub for the movement of forces from west to east and, if required, for the movement of casualties from east to west," Spicer said. "The liaison position provides a dedicated point of contact to build enduring partnerships, maintain professional connections, and better align U.S. and German medical capabilities for collective defense."
The liaison officer's primary objective is to enhance U.S.-German medical cooperation by boosting interoperability, joint readiness, and communication across both organizations.
"My role is to help connect leaders, planners, clinicians, and subject-matter experts across the U.S. military medical enterprise and the Bundeswehr," Spicer said. "The work includes supporting recurring bilateral working groups; identifying opportunities for professional exchange and joint training; improving coordination for patient movement, host-nation medical support, and contingency planning; and helping develop more enduring relationships between U.S. and German medical organizations."
Spicer noted that he also works to ensure senior leaders share a clear picture of mutual priorities and operational challenges.
Although German fluency is not mandatory for the position, it has proved advantageous. Spicer learned the language independently during his first assignment in Würzburg, Germany, in 1998.
"In order to learn German, I took classes in the evening after work," Spicer said. "Learning the language has opened doors throughout my career, strengthened professional relationships, and helped me better understand the people and culture of the country where I have spent 25 years serving in the military."
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