Abstract

This paper examines the establishment and significance of the United States Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2, today called the Naval Medical Research Unit INDO PACIFIC. During the Pacific War, the unit was located close to the frontlines as an experimental medical research institution. Headquartered in Guam, with a short-lived branch in Okinawa, the unit’s innovative establishment marked the US Navy’s first attempt at medical research near overseas combat zones. After the war, the Navy expanded medical research to establish four more NAMRUs worldwide, serving as a key institution for medical intelligence. This paper argues that NAMRU-2 was a significant element of American interests in the Pacific, exemplifying the intersection of wartime strategy, military medicine, and colonial medicine. By investigating the unit’s establishment, operation, and postwar legacy, this paper highlights NAMRU-2’s role in consolidating US medical influences in the Pacific and advancing medical knowledge under wartime conditions.