David Spence
Expert
Former Senior Medical Sergeant (18D), US Army Special Forces, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
David's military career spanned two countries, serving with the Canadian Army Infantry before transitioning to the US Army and deploying on Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Special Forces medic he served on the Combatant Commander's In-Extremis Force (CCIF) and as a tactical advisor to Iraqi Special Operations Forces. Since leaving the military, he has led defence innovation in combat casualty care, pioneering the design and worldwide fielding of whole blood containers that enable transfusion at the point of injury.
Expert Role
David advises on medical and rescue programmes of record, including Special Operations Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) systems that facilitate the rescue, recovery, stabilisation, and evacuation of casualties across military and non-standard modes of transport.
Professional Background
David served as a Senior Medical Sergeant with 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), USSOCOM, on a 50-man assault element designated as the Combatant Commander's In-Extremis Force, with additional duties as Troop Lead Navigator and Tactical Advisor to the 1st Iraqi Special Operations Brigade (ISOF). Earlier, he served as a Pathfinder Team Leader and Long-Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) Team Leader in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
After leaving the military, he became designer and programme manager for the USSOCOM TCCC CASEVAC programme of record, and later for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence Pre-Hospital Medical System. His work on Blood Far Forward programmes produced the "Golden Minute" (2014) and "Golden Second" (2019) whole blood containers; the Golden Hour Medic and Golden Hour 1V/1F containers are now fielded worldwide, with delivery of whole blood by UAV ongoing.
In 2017 he founded a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, winning research and development contracts with:
USSOCOM and JSOC-JMAU (autonomous UAV delivery of medical equipment in austere environments)
US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (inflatable patient isolation pod)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (secure UAS delivery modules for whole blood, medications, and vaccines)
US Department of Homeland Security (topical virus mitigation against SARS-CoV-2)
US Air Force AFWERX (thermal insulation, vibration mitigation, and pressure injury reduction; Phase III commercialisation achieved)
Canadian Department of National Defence (blood preservation and transport systems, extraction kits, and critical care transport medical panel systems for CH-47 rotary wing aircraft, with seven aircraft fielded to date)
His humanitarian work includes 28 completed medical aid shipments to the Ukrainian Defence Forces with the Leleka Foundation, counter-proliferation of counterfeit medical products, and the design and medical planning of four shallow-draft "Mercy" ships delivering care to 22 remote villages in the Chocó region of Colombia with the Carlos and Diana DelCorral Foundation.
Education
Advanced Tactical Practitioner, US Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC
Special Forces Qualification Course
Rascon School of Combat Medicine
US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center Language School (Arabic)
Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC)
Advanced Special Operations Technician Course (ASOT Level II)
Ranger School, Pathfinder, Airborne, and Air Assault Courses
Additional qualifications in combat medicine, confined space rescue, advanced reconnaissance, SERE, and prehospital care