GAO – Actions Needed to Assess Civilian Partnerships’ Contributions to Readiness
What GAO Found
The Department of Defense’s (DOD) decisions to partner with civilian medical facilities to train military medical personnel for the battlefield are influenced by various factors that can support or hinder the use of partnerships, according to officials. One type of partnership that DOD can establish through an external resource sharing agreement allows active-duty providers to provide medical care to beneficiaries in civilian medical facilities within DOD’s network. Using these partnerships can reduce costs by avoiding certain professional fees and by keeping patient care within the network. However, DOD has not fully explored the
benefits of increasing the use of these partnerships. Developing strategies to identify opportunities for using such agreements could ultimately help reduce costs, increase clinical readiness, and improve access to care.
What GAO Recommends
GAO is making nine recommendations, including that DOD develop strategies to identify opportunities for reducing costs while increasing readiness through partnerships established by external resource sharing agreements; develop processes to inventory partnerships; and fully assess the readiness contributions of its partnerships. DOD concurred with seven recommendations and partially concurred with two recommendations. GAO believes all recommendations are sound and should be fully addressed.
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2025 Dooling Award winners redefine Navy Medicine IT excellence
BLUF – The article explains that the 2025 Captain Joan Dooling Award for Information Professional Excellence recognizes Navy Medicine personnel whose innovations in information technology, cybersecurity, informatics, and information management have directly strengthened operational readiness and healthcare delivery. Honorees included Mr. Ron Harris (Civilian of the Year, Naval Health Clinic Hawaii), Lt. Cmdr. Emmanuel T. Dadzie (Officer of the Year, NMRTC Twentynine Palms), the Information Management Department at NMRTC Sigonella (Team of the Year), and Mr. Miguel Ramirez of NAMRU SOUTH (Lifetime Achievement Award). For Navy Medicine, the awards highlight the growing importance of resilient digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and health information systems as mission-critical capabilities that enable expeditionary medicine, clinical operations, and decision-making across the enterprise.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/570300/2025-dooling-award-winners-redefine-navy-medicine-excellence
The Blood Bank and the Logistics of Wartime Medicine
BLUF – The article traces how innovations in blood preservation and distribution—particularly Dr. Charles Drew’s development of large-scale blood banking during World War II—transformed battlefield survival and argues that modern militaries face a similar logistical challenge as future conflicts will require delivering and sustaining blood products far closer to the point of injury because rapid evacuation can no longer be assumed. For Navy Medicine, the piece reinforces the importance of the Armed Services Blood Program, walking blood bank capabilities, cold-chain logistics, and forward blood distribution as critical enablers of prolonged casualty care and distributed maritime operations in future large-scale combat.
https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/the-blood-bank-and-the-logistics-of-wartime-medicine
Panel to study Pentagon’s COVID vaccine mandate, troops dismissal
BLUF – The Pentagon has commissioned an independent review, alongside an internal panel, to examine the development, implementation, and effects of the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate from 2020–2023, including the discharge of more than 8,400 service members who refused vaccination and the policy’s impact on military readiness. For Navy Medicine, the review could shape future policies governing mandatory immunizations, force health protection, medical exemptions, and the role of military healthcare leaders in balancing individual medical considerations with the operational readiness requirements of the force.
Military Medicine 250 video podcast: Episode One – Evolution of Military Medicine
BLUF – In the first episode of the Military Medicine 250 video podcast, Air Force Medical Service Senior Historian Dr. Joseph Frechette traces the evolution of U.S. military medicine from George Washington’s decision to inoculate troops against smallpox through Civil War medical reforms and the development of flight medicine and aeromedical evacuation, illustrating how wartime innovation has repeatedly transformed both military and civilian healthcare. For Navy Medicine, the discussion reinforces that operational challenges have historically driven advances in trauma care, preventive medicine, evacuation, and medical readiness, underscoring the enduring role of military medicine as a source of innovation that strengthens the future joint force.
Senators question whether military pharmacy program is the best deal for beneficiaries
BLUF – Senators questioned whether the Defense Health Agency’s TRICARE pharmacy contract with Express Scripts provides the best value for military beneficiaries, raising concerns that the contractor’s dual role as both pharmacy benefit manager and operator of its own mail-order pharmacies creates potential conflicts of interest, reduces access to community pharmacies, and warrants an independent audit. For Navy Medicine, the debate could influence future TRICARE pharmacy policy, beneficiary access to medications, and DHA oversight of pharmacy benefits, with potential implications for military treatment facilities, civilian pharmacy partnerships, and healthcare costs across the Military Health System.
Here’s the DoW article:
U.S. Navy microbiologist discovers 14 new viruses and gives them Texas names
BLUF – A Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio team discovered 14 bacteriophages—viruses that attack bacteria—and gave them Texas-themed names after isolating them from wastewater and finding that many effectively kill antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. For Navy Medicine, the research could lead to new treatments for resistant infections, reducing lost duty time while also advancing phage therapy as a potential tool against difficult battlefield and hospital-acquired infections.
America’s Navy at 250 – The Historic Collections of Naval History and Heritage Command
You can download the PDF here:
Opinion – We Need to Stop Pretending That This is a Women’s Issue
BLUF – Andrea Goldstein argues that blocking board-selected women and minority officers from promotion and repeatedly reexamining women’s service in combat should not be treated as a “women’s issue,” but as a leadership and combat-readiness problem that deprives the Navy of qualified talent while distracting senior leaders from operational demands. For Navy Medicine, the argument is directly relevant because restricting advancement among women and minority officers could weaken an already diverse leadership pipeline, reduce retention, and limit the pool of experienced medical leaders available for senior command and operational assignments.
https://andreangoldstein.substack.com/p/we-need-to-stop-pretending-that-this