EDITORIAL MEDICAL SUPPORT FOR AIRBORNE TROOPS; PROVEN EXPERTISE IN DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT. After the glory days of Second World War parachutists, then the armed conflicts that brought colonialism to an end, there was a fear that this solidly proven operational expertise could be lost. However, for many armies this military action has continued to be effective in the training of elite troops, which plays a role for many in their motivation for combat. Developments in the style of military operations, particularly in the fight against terrorism, have led to a return to this type of deployment in all its forms whether static line jumps, parachute commando delayed opening jumps, covert insertion, very high altitude jumps with oxygen, and so on. With more than 110 airborne operations and close to 3000 paratroopers dropped since the beginning of the Sahel operation in 2013, the French army has real expertise in deploying troops in the third dimension. At the same time, the medical support for these soldiers doesn’t stay “on the ground”. The Health Service of the Armies has continually maintained the specific technical skills needed to support jumps, from working on the weight/volume equipment issue, to improving medical techniques for treatment in isolated areas and working on the wounded evacuation strategy that conditions the accepted risk for airborne operations. The section on paratroopers in this edition of the IRAFMS suggests sweeping aside, in view of the French experience, a part of the spectrum of military medicine applied to parachuting. After an overview of the medical evaluation of airborne operations conducted over the last fifty years, two articles then look at selection and fitness with the development of fitness standards in ophthalmology and an assessment of the problem of back pain in paratroopers. An assessment of brain injuries in parachutists is also made before concluding with a presentation of the medical issues in the most technical jump, the covert high-altitude military free-fall insertion. We would like this work, specific to military medicine, to allow a better understanding of the approach and the complementarity behind the different medical specialist fields from preparing for the jump up to its completion, in operational missions, without forgetting the treatment and ultimately rehabilitation of the injured parachutist. Happy reading and, “By Saint Michael*, long live the paratroopers!” Professor Luc AIGLE Professor at the Ecole du Val-de-Grâce and qualified as a doctor for airborne troops. Coordinator of the "Para Troop Medicine" dossier. VOL. 94/3 * Saint Michael is the Patron Saint and the Motto of the Paratroopers. International Review of the Armed Forces Medical Services 6 Revue Internationale des Services de Santé des Forces Armées