Media: US military hospital in Germany prepares for influx of wounded

The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, located next to the largest US Air Force installation in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, has suspended its labor and delivery services as it shifts resources toward treating casualties from the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Hospital leadership said the move was necessary to prioritise the facility’s “primary objective” of caring for wounded personnel. Multiple reports indicate that the scale of damage from Iranian and allied strikes across the region has been severe.

The medical center has also reportedly issued urgent appeals for blood donations, a further indication of a large-scale medical emergency.

Landstuhl is the only overseas US Level II trauma center and serves as the principal evacuation and treatment hub for injured American service members from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In response to the growing number of casualties, the hospital has reallocated staff, space, and other resources to handle an expected influx of wounded personnel.

According to a memorandum signed by hospital leadership, the decision to suspend maternity services and redirect resources was taken at a “very high level” within the US Department of War.

Iranian officials claimed that as many as 500 US personnel had been killed by March 4—just four days after US and Israeli attacks triggered Iranian strikes on adversary targets across the Middle East. However, US sources have not reported casualty figures anywhere near that level.

Iranian-aligned Iraqi paramilitary groups have also asserted that they inflicted more than 100 US casualties through attacks on major hotels and other facilities where American personnel were staying.

Past experience has shown that initial casualty reports following Iranian strikes can change significantly over time. After a limited Iranian missile strike on a single US military facility in Iraq on January 8, 2020, for which Washington had received advance warning, early reports indicated relatively few injuries. Pentagon estimates later increased from fewer than 30 to more than 60, and ultimately to 109 personnel diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries by mid-February that year.

Since February 28, 2026, Iranian forces have carried out missile and drone attacks on an unprecedented scale against US military facilities. These strikes have also targeted hotels and other civilian buildings across much of the Gulf region where US personnel were reportedly staying.

The intensity and breadth of these attacks have fueled expectations that the number of casualties could be far higher than publicly acknowledged so far, with the surge of medical preparations in Germany suggesting that losses may indeed be substantial.

By Tamilla Hasanova