A Message from the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

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Dear Colleagues,

I apologize for being a bit overdue in checking in with you – I enjoy sharing what’s happening here in the Pentagon and hearing your candid and always helpful feedback.

It’s been a busy March! The month started with the annual AMSUS meeting where I met many of you and heard about the great work you do across the MHS. We heard inspiring and informative speeches from the Surgeons General and the Joint Staff Surgeon. Each laid out an assessment, a vision, and a plan for how their medical departments will continue to maintain readiness despite ongoing resource challenges in an increasingly complex global threat environment. I took away the ever-increasing need for Service interoperability as we confront the tyranny of distance and the distributed nature of operations within the Indo-Pacific AOR. I couldn’t agree more. During my remarks, I summarized my top three priorities that focus on the “3 S’s”: Support, Sustain, and Strengthen.

  • Support the Warfighter (always)
  • Sustain our Skills (everyday)
  • Strengthen our Chain (in perpetuity)

My team and I also had the opportunity to meet with military medical leaders from around the globe. Cultivating and strengthening these partnerships is a strategic imperative. Complex, international geographic borders and the requirement for land, sea, and air prowess reinforces the need for teamwork across both our Services and with our allies.

In March, the DoD also hosted the FY25 Q2 HEC and JEC meetings, a Congressionally established forum for senior MHS and VA leaders to convene and establish strategic priorities for collaboration.  I’m excited that our leadership team’s inaugural meetings with these groups prioritized bolder, more innovative initiatives than ever before. Our ideas place the emphasis on initiatives that will enhance our Ready Medical Force capability. We know that focusing on high volume, high acuity care is critical to Skills Sustainment and Force Generation, and that it’s also key to morale and workforce stability. In fact, we will be identifying 4-8 locations for closer DoD and VA collaboration soon. I’ll keep you updated on this development.

My favorite part of this job is visiting you.  Recent visits included Guantanamo Bay, Walter Reed, Wright-Patterson, Fort Detrick, and the 711th Human Performance Wing.  Your questions during town halls about job stability, hiring, workload, and the future of the MHS are invaluable.  I want you to know your concerns are heard at the highest levels of the Pentagon and it is because of the critical nature of your work that the MHS has been given significant flexibility regarding hiring and employment policies.

I’m looking forward to visiting California, Nebraska, Texas, and Guam this month, and attending the MHS Conference in Cleveland.  Thank you for your hard work. I’m committed to ensuring you have the resources, training, and tools you need.  There are many excellent healthcare systems, but only the MHS goes to war.

Very respectfully,

Steve

Stephen Ferrara, M.D.

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

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