Predicting COVID-19 and respiratory illness: results of the 2022-2023 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division forecasting challenge.

Since 2019, the Integrated Biosurveillance Branch of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division has conducted an annual forecasting challenge during influenza season to predict short-term respiratory disease activity among Military Health System beneficiaries. Weekly case and encounter observed data were used to generate 1- through 4-week advanced forecasts of disease activity. To create unified combinations of model inputs for evaluation across multiple spatial resolutions, 8 individual models were used to calculate 3 ensemble models.

Lessons learned from casualty statistics in health care system development: Afghanistan 2008-2009.

A retrospective study of Afghanistan National Army casualty rates for a 1-year period was completed to assist in health care system assessment and further development during a period of rapid force expansion. Battle and disease nonbattle injuries by Corps area were determined from data on soldier visits from all military health care facilities. The number of fielded forces in each Corps was used to calculate the populations at risk.