OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – The Navy Reserve is sharpening its ability to mobilize at scale through its ongoing summer Mobilization Exercise (MOBEX), a critical readiness event taking place in Corpus Christi, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans. A key innovation in this cycle is the Adaptive Mobilization Medical Unit (AMMU), a scalable, deployable capability enabling Reserve Sailors to receive on-site medical screenings.
MOBEX events are large-scale readiness assessments designed to simulate the activation of up to 50,000 Reserve Sailors within 30 days. The exercise tests the full range of personnel, administrative, and medical support systems necessary for rapid deployment.
“The MOBEX is designed to prepare Navy Reserve Centers and Reserve medical providers to deploy a large number of people quickly,” said Cmdr. Elisa Martinez, medical department head for Navy Reserve Region Readiness and Mobilization Command (REDCOM) Fort Worth. “From a medical perspective, all of the Navy Reservists who may deploy need to be screened to ensure they’re safe to enter a deployed environment.”
The AMMU, developed to address gaps in Navy Reserve medical readiness, allows for screenings to be conducted directly at Navy Reserve Centers. The goal is to deliver Individual Medical Readiness (IMR) support throughout the year and streamline processes in the event of a mass mobilization.


“The Adaptive Mobilization Medical Unit was developed to provide the medical resources to quickly mobilize the force,” Martinez said. “There are very few active-duty medical providers at Reserve Centers, so we rely on Selected Reserve (SELRES) providers to do the screenings and process paperwork for our force.”
The previous model for medical screenings often relied on ad hoc arrangements that diverted Reserve Sailors from their unit's mission or required them to travel to centralized locations for screenings. The AMMU eliminates that barrier by assigning dedicated resources to conduct on-site physical health assessments, dental exams, immunizations, and other medical checks.
“This model allows for a unit with mass mobilization as its primary mission,” Martinez said. “We’re evaluating facilities, equipment needs, and screening workflows to prepare for future requirements. It’s about scalability, where Sailors will sleep, where they will eat, how they will move through the process.”
Site visits during MOBEX cycles play a vital role in shaping future strategy. Medical personnel measure the time required to screen Sailors and assess what specific medical actions would be necessary if a Sailor needed to deploy immediately.
“We’re tracking time to screen and identifying what requirements Sailors would need for Physical Health Assessments, dental, and immunizations, if they were to be deployed this week,” Martinez said. “We’re taking all feedback from the field and pushing it to Commander, Navy Reserve Force Command (CNRFC). The other REDCOMs are also conducting similar exercises with their hubs and AMMU teams.”
The ultimate goal is to establish a standardized, efficient framework that ensures every Navy Reserve Sailor is medically ready to respond to national emergencies, international crises, or contingency operations with minimal notice.
“The Reserve Force needs to be agile and warfighting-ready,” Martinez added. “These exercises allow us to train for those requirements, while also ensuring that the Navy’s systems can support our readiness and ability to protect U.S. interests globally.”
For those executing the mission on the ground, the exercise also tested real-time adaptability under pressure.
“The cohesiveness and adaptability of our Adaptive Mobilization Medical Unit were put to the test during their first mobilization exercise, and they blew it out of the water,” said Hospital Corpsman Chief (Select) Stephanie Ross. “They integrated with each other quickly and almost seamlessly, and were able to excel with the limited access they had and constantly changing information.”
With innovations like the AMMU and lessons learned from nationwide MOBEX engagements, the Navy Reserve is modernizing its approach to large-scale readiness, ensuring the force remains ready, responsive, and resilient.