For years, some U.S. battlefield medic courses ended with a grim capstone: a live animal exercise meant to mimic combat trauma. Pigs and goats were anesthetized, then wounded so students could practice lifesaving care under stress, as BBC News reports in its look at “live tissue training” and how it became entrenched after Vietnam-era lessons.

Now the Pentagon plans to stop the most controversial version of it.

The U.S. military will halt the practice of shooting live animals to train medics, a prohibition included in the annual defense authorization bill, the Associated Press reports. Supporters say the move reflects a reality that is hard to ignore: modern simulators can replicate battlefield injuries without killing animals.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, who pushed the change, called it “a major step forward in reducing unnecessary suffering in military practices,” and argued that advanced simulation can prepare medics while reducing harm, according to the Associated Press.

The U.S. military will stop shooting live animals during medic training.

What Changes and What Still Continues

The new restriction targets “live fire” animal training. It ends the moment that has long drawn the strongest public backlash: firearms used on living animals during instruction.

But it does not end all animal use. The Defense Department will still allow certain trauma drills that involve stabbing, burning, blunt instruments, and “weapon wounding” for weapons testing, as long as animals are anesthetized, the Associated Press reports.

In the Pentagon’s view, the direction is clear even if the endpoint is not. The Defense Health Agency told the AP that it “remains committed to replacement of animal models without compromising the quality of medical training.”

Pigs and goats were historically used to simulate combat injuries.

Why Goats and Pigs Became the Stand-Ins for Soldiers

The logic behind live tissue trauma training has always been rooted in physiology and urgency. A detailed commentary in the Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health explains that pigs and goats were used because trainees could see real bleeding, real tissue response, and the complications that come with living biology. The animals were deeply anesthetized, injuries were created to resemble combat trauma, and animals were euthanized without regaining consciousness, the journal reports.

Military officials have also argued that the visceral stress matters. In 2013, the Pentagon told BBC News that live tissue training provided “realism, immediate feedback, and depth of training” that it did not believe alternatives could fully match at the time.

Alternatives to live animals are increasingly being used in training.

Simulators, Cut Suits, and the Push for Measurable Change

That confidence has eroded as simulation tools improved and oversight tightened. A Government Accountability Office review found the Defense Department could not fully demonstrate its progress in minimizing animal use and needed measurable objectives and performance measures, 13News Now reports. GAO official Cary Russell described the tension as a “balance” between effective programs and compassion for animals.

Inside the services, scrutiny has not been abstract. Military.com reported on allegations of unauthorized live tissue training tied to Marine exercises, along with internal emails warning it would need to be reported as “unauthorized LTT.” The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine used that moment to press for alternatives, pointing to hyper-realistic “cut suits” and other simulation aids.

Retired Navy physician Erin Griffith drew a sharper line in comments cited by the Associated Press: “Replicating what it’s like when their buddy is shot and bleeding and awake is very different.”

The Pentagon’s new ban signals what comes next: more human-relevant training, tighter accountability, and fewer animals harmed in the name of medical readiness.