TAMC Tripler, HI - Public Health Command–Pacific hosted a weeklong Food and Water Risk Assessment (FWRA) course Aug. 24-28, 2026, bringing together veterinary and public health personnel from across the Pacific region to strengthen food safety and defense capabilities.
The training, held at PHC-P Headquarters, was conducted by the Veterinary Services Directorate and led by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Erik Montgomery, a Master Food Safety Instructor, Writer and Training Developer. Fifteen service members from the Army, Navy and Air Force attended.
FWRA is conducted under specific circumstances by veterinary or authorized public health personnel to assess food operations and identify and mitigate risk from contamination. The course prepares students to conduct those assessments in deployed, garrison and joint environments.
During the course, participants received instruction in Department of Defense approved food sources, food safety and microbiology, cleaning and sanitizing procedures, and the application of MIL-STD-3041 and MIL-HDBK-3041 standards. The curriculum also covered hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles, food defense principles, risk assessment methodology and the use of the FWRA database application.
Students applied the material through scenario-based exercises that required them to plan and conduct simulated FWRA missions, integrating technical standards with real-world considerations such as infrastructure limitations and emerging threats.