Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene

Emergency procedures are in place in multiple states due to Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene. >>Learn More

U.S. Military Blood Programs Deliver Lifesaving Support

Image of U.S. Military Blood Programs Deliver Lifesaving Support. The ASBP gets blood donations through the blood drives they hold around the world at their collection centers or through their mobile blood drives.

While collecting blood is a vital part of the Armed Services Blood Program, delivering it to the field ensures that medical professionals have the supply they need to save lives. The ASBP, along with blood programs from each military service, supports combatant commands by transporting life-saving blood to the battlefield.

“The ASBP works closely with the combatant commands to ensure that blood products are available and delivered to the locations where they are needed,” U.S. Army Col. (P) Christopher Lee Evans, director of the Army Blood Program at Joint Base San Antonio. “The service components’ blood programs play a vital role in ensuring that military service members and their families receive the care and treatment they need to survive on the battlefield and helps save lives in times of emergency.”

The ASBP gets blood donations through the blood drives they hold around the world at their collection centers or through their mobile blood drives.

“The blood our patients need is the blood we have on the shelf right now. We need people to get out, donate blood, and make a habit of it. The ASBP is dedicated to supporting our warfighters, their families, veterans, and retirees,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Hebert, head of the U.S. Navy blood program.

Having an excess of blood supply “comes down to readiness,” according to Hebert.

“Blood is one of those things where you don’t know you need it until you do. Having blood on the shelf ensures medical providers have the tools they need to save lives when they need it,” he said.

Getting Blood to Where it is Needed

After receiving the donated blood, the ASBP then needs to get the blood to combatant commands. The ASBP first processes, tests, and stores the blood.

“The collected blood is then packaged and shipped to military hospitals and clinics, forward-deployed locations, and other locations as needed. Once shipped, the blood is then stored in a blood bank until it is needed for a surgical procedure or emergency transfusion. Then, the blood is delivered to the field/surgical unit, where it is administered to the patient by a medical professional,” said Evans.

What Happens if There is a Shortage in the Field

“If there is a shortage of blood in the field, the ASBP may increase the number of blood drives, or collect blood from other sources such as other blood banks, or use commercial flights to transport the blood from one location to another,” said Evans.

“The ASBP coordinates with military hospitals or clinics, forward-deployed locations, and other organizations to ensure a steady supply of blood is available to meet the needs of the military,” he added.

The ASBP may also hold blood drives in the field to support military operations worldwide, or mobile blood drives from donors at forward-deployed locations, military bases, and other locations.

“These mobile blood drives are usually set up in temporary locations, such as tents or trailers, and are essential to meet the needs of the military in the field,” said Evans.

ASBP’s primary focus is to get the donated blood to the warfighter or family member who need it.

“We enable survival,” Hebert said. “War is not pretty, but blood helps bring our warfighters back home. By having blood available at our military hospitals and clinics, it brings a feeling of security to our warfighters, because they know their families and loved ones will have the blood they need at home when something happens.”

Armed Services Blood Program

Since 1962, the Armed Services Blood Program is the official blood program of the United States military. Our mission is to provide quality blood products and support to military health care operations worldwide; from the battlefield to the local hospital, whenever and wherever needed. The ASBP collects, processes, stores, transports, and distributes blood products to service members, their families, retirees and veterans in peace and war. In an ASBP Enterprise view – Military Health Affairs, Defense Health Agency, Service Blood Programs and Combatant Commands – we operate under common goals, metrics, procedures, and work together to shape the future.

The ASBP is one of four organizations tasked with providing a safe blood supply to the nation. Our program also works closely with our civilian counterparts in times of need to maximize the availability of this national treasure.


To find out more about the ASBP or schedule an appointment to donate, please visit www.health.mil/asbp.To interact directly with ASBP staff members or get the latest news, follow us @militaryblood on Facebook and Twitter, and @usmilitaryblood on Instagram.

You also may be interested in...

Video
May 23, 2024

It's Time to Donate Blood: PSA

It's Time to Donate Blood PSA

Ms. Seileen Mullen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs encourages everyone to donate blood to the Armed Services Blood Program. "We can't wait for a disaster to happen before we reach into our blood supply," she said. One donation can save up to three lives. For more information visit health.mil/ASBP

Topic
Jul 8, 2024

Armed Services Blood Program

The Armed Services Blood Program provides quality blood products for service members, veterans and their families in both peace and war. As a joint operation among the military services (Army, Navy, Air Force), the ASBP has many components working together to collect, process, store, distribute, and transfuse blood worldwide.

Video
Apr 16, 2024

Meet the ASBP Blood Drive Team Part 1: Interview Processing (vertical)

Meet the ASBP Blood Drive Team Part 1: Interview Processing (vertical)

Meet part of the Armed Services Blood Program team! Specialist Blanca, an ASBP mobilized reservist, works in the interview section during blood donations at the 2024 MHS Conference. She takes us through why her position is essential for patient safety, and in ensuring ASBP receives safe, pure, and potent blood donations. This video is vertical ...

Video
Apr 16, 2024

Meet the ASBP Blood Drive Team Part 3: Phlebotomy (vertical)

Meet the ASBP Blood Drive Team Part 3: Phlebotomy (vertical)

For Lab Week awareness, we follow Staff Sargeant Watson, a lab technician in the phlebotomy section, as she helps to draw blood donations during 2024's MHS Conference, where they are then delivered to initial intake processing. Meet part of the Armed Services Blood Program team! Staff Sargeant Watson is a lab technician in the phlebotomy section, ...

Video
Apr 12, 2024

Blood Donations Save Lives

Blood Donations Save Lives

If you could save three lives in less than an hour, would you? Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, encourages everyone to donate blood. One donation can save up to 3 lives and takes less than 1 hour. Readiness is a key focus of the Defense Health Agency and blood donation is a key part of military medical ...

Video
Apr 12, 2024

January is National Blood Donor Month

January is National Blood Donor Month

Blood is being collected to be shipped out all over the world and we have Army, Air Force, Navy and DOD civilians acting as the local community. Now more than ever, especially in the pandemic, we need to donate and give blood as there has been a shortage of blood donors. What better time than on National Blood Donor Month?

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: November 30, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery