A Message from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Colleagues,
Happy New Year! I hope that you all enjoyed the holiday season and got some much deserved rest and relaxation.
As we enter this new year, I will tell you that 2024 will be a pivotal year for our organization, as we build on the accomplishments of last year, particularly the completion of the MHS Strategy and the issuance of the MHS Stabilization Memo from the Deputy Secretary of Defense. These documents are closely related, as the goals of MHS stabilization are tied to the successful implementation of our strategy. We will be talking about these efforts regularly, asking for your help in achieving our objectives and communicating those achievements.
In this first month of the year, I’m asking you to familiarize yourself with the strategy https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Publications/2023/12/15/MHS_Strategic_Plan_FY24_29 and the Stabilization Memo. Strategic decisions about programs and resources should be made through the lens of the four strategic goals outlined in the strategy: Take Care of Our People, Stabilize the MHS, Modernize the MHS, and Integrate MHS Capabilities.
Implementation of the MHS Stabilization Memo is underway with a task force chaired by Dr. David Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Readiness Policy and Oversight. The task force’s first job is to jointly develop business rules for determination, resourcing, manning, and accessibility to medical forces to manage and balance risks.
I’ve spent the past ten months visiting our people across the country and around the world. I have listened to your concerns and am determined to keep listening, to deliver improvements, and to make sure you understand what the strategy and stabilization efforts mean to you and what you can do to move us forward. Stay tuned.
Very Respectfully,
Lester
Lester Martínez-López, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
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