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Falls Church, Virginia – One of the many wise aphorisms of George Washington, “being prepared for war is one of the most effective ways to preserve peace”, is timeless. Teddy Roosevelt has updated the maxim for the public of his time, advising the country to “speak slowly and wear a big stick”. Today, we are pressure for peace by force.
THE Military health system (MHS) is a key element to execute this strategy. With a global network of more than 700 hospitals and clinics and more than 130,000 military and civilian health professionals from the watch, the MHS guarantees that America has a medically ready to fight at any time. The MHS considers the optimization of the human factor as our strategic advantage in combat. But the MHS is unlike any health care system in the United States – we are going to war.
By keeping the soldiers healthy here at home at the attenuation of diseases abroad, we keep firearms in the fight. By bringing the operating rooms and the USIs to the front lines, on board ships and in the sky, we allow fighters to take heroic risks, confident that the best doctors, nurses and doctors in the world have their backs at each stage and on each acre on earth. There is nothing that the MHS will not do: no research too ambitious, no too expensive device, no distance too far to preserve or restore the health of our fighters.
As an interim assistant secretary for the defense of health affairs, I am proud to be accused of guaranteeing that our medical forces provide world -class medical care and to deploy quickly to support all American military missions. The responsibility does not stop there. The MHS also guarantees that those who protect the home and family members – also receive world -class medical care. This allows the soldiers deployed to stay focused on the mission without having to worry about the health of their spouse or their child.
We also fulfill the solemn pact to provide health care to retirees who have devoted the work of their lives and countless sacrifices to the service of this nation. As a retired navy doctor and military spouse, I understand the sacrifices of the military and their families, both what it is to deploy and what is to be left. This mission is both intensely personal and intensely enriching.
This is why the current underperformance of the new Tricare contract is particularly frustrating for me. THE Tricare health plan is a key pillar of the army health care service system. Millions of family members and retirees rely on the network of providers and tricare hospitals for medical care and mental health services, such as autistic care on which families are counting on each day. THE Defense Health Agency
And I work tirelessly to hold responsible entrepreneurs, to grant exemptions to ensure access to specialized care and help families navigate in this transition. We are progressing, but not quickly enough. I will continue to work on behalf of the military families until this system is fixed and so that it does not happen again.
The MHS garrison mission is carried out in military medical treatment facilities around the world. The mission is better distilled in its essence: preparation. Medical preparation is preparation for combat, and although we are grateful to have the current moment of relative peace, we must remain vigilant. When the enemy strikes, we need our soldiers physically fit, mentally aware and healthy to defend our nation.
Throughout history, the periods between Guerts had a pernicious effect on medical preparation, so much so that these periods bear the eponym: the Walker dip. In 2018, the general surgeon of the British Armed Forces Vice-Admiral Alasdair Walker described a recurring and disturbing model dating from the 19th century. From the Napoleonic War (1803-1815) in Iraq and Afghanistan, the hard-won lessons and the experience acquired in combat, such as the importance of specialized care in care and transfusion, are forgotten and must be repeated. Unfortunately, these skills “drop” decrease survival rates, resulting in greater injury and loss of life. Before downstream is forearm. It is my personal mission to make sure that skills and expertise leading to historically high survival rates on the battlefield that we have reached in Iraq and Afghanistan are never forgotten.
In a world of deep geopolitical risks and competing economic priorities, how can military medicine avoid the drop in walker? How can he successfully compete with resources with the modernization and replenishment of our stock of weapons? In other words, we cannot afford not to do it.
Fortunately, military medicine is not in competition with the priorities to fight against war such as weapons systems. Rather, he potentiates the ultimate weapon system: the American soldier, the sailor, the aviator, the navy and the goalkeeper. Medical forces ready to keep firearms in the fight and ready medical forces honor the pact that America makes to its sons and daughters to provide world -class medical care at any time, anywhere, in all conditions.
The strategy to maintain the preparing at the tip, to deceive the Walker dip, is three -part: support, maintenance and strengthening.
- We Support Our combat fighters. This is our reason for being.
- We Sustain Our skills by doing high volume and high complexity medical care.
- We To strenghten Our chain by strengthening our platforms of force generation.
These objectives strengthen each other, promoting a virtuous cycle of success. These priorities require resources, leadership and commitment. I have infinite confidence in the commitment, skills and dedication of our people. MHS is one of the best health systems in America and the best military medical system in the world. We are fortunate to have exceptional leaders and support from the department with which I will continue to work to ensure that the MHS has what it needs. I will continue to tell our story to our elected officials to Capitol Hill and defend our fighters to ensure that they benefit from the medical support they deserve.
Military medicine is an unanswered mission. I am convinced that our success will continue to strengthen the strength that supports peace. But if peace was broken … Our preparation will assure us to break the Walker dip sequence.