Surgeon General
Fair Winds and Following Seas to RADM Freedman – RADM Case is Acting Surgeon General of Navy
Navy Medicine Shipmates,
As I step away from a military career that began in 1989, my heart is full of gratitude. Reflecting on nearly four decades of service, I am struck by the incredible evolution of our force and moved by the spirit and quality of the people I have been privileged to serve alongside.
Whether you are a hospital corpsman, a physician, dentist, nurse, administrator, clinician, scientist, civilian or contractor, you are the lifeblood of this organization. With steadfast dedication to our mission, each one of you contributes more than you know – you are the reason we remain the finest Navy in the world.
I remain profoundly humbled to have been part of this incredible team, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with men and women who sacrifice so much to ensure the health and readiness of our Sailors and Marines. As I depart, I remain confident in and excited about the future of Navy Medicine.
As I leave, Navy Medicine will be in the steady hands of Rear Adm. Matthew Case who will serve as Acting Surgeon General. He is a familiar face to all of you, having served as executive assistant to the 39th Surgeon General, as Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, and most recently as acting Deputy Director of the Defense Health Agency. He is intimately familiar with the complexities of our mission and brings a level of expertise and a genuine passion for serving our warfighters that is second to none. You are in good hands.
Thank you for your dedication and sacrifices, your excellence, and your friendship. It has been the journey of a lifetime. I would do it all again without any hesitation. It has been an honor serving with you.
Fair winds and following seas, Navy Medicine. Go Win Today!
Sincerely,
RADM Rick Freedman
Dental Corps, United States Navy
Acting Surgeon General of the Navy
Acting Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Matthew Case, a native of Nottingham, New Hampshire, poses for an official portrait as the acting Navy Surgeon General; acting chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; Director, Medical Service Corps. Navy Medicine’s 44,000+ talented and ready forces optimize health readiness, deliver quality healthcare, and provide global expeditionary medical support to warfighters from point of injury to higher roles of care. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sasha Ambrose)
Fair winds and following seas to Rear Adm. Freedman after 35 years of service
BLUF – Rear Adm. Rick Freedman retired after 35 years of service in the Navy Dental Corps, concluding a career that included serving as the 39th Chief of the Navy Dental Corps, Acting Navy Surgeon General, Deputy Surgeon General, and Acting Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, with leadership roles spanning operational deployments, military treatment facilities, and the Defense Health Agency. For Navy Medicine, his career reflects the increasing importance of developing clinicians who can lead across operational, clinical, and enterprise levels, demonstrating how diverse leadership experience prepares officers to guide the Medical Department through periods of transformation while maintaining readiness.
Senior military medical leaders align the joint mission around readiness
BLUF – Senior Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Health Agency medical leaders used the 2026 Military Health System Conference to align around a common readiness-focused vision, emphasizing that future conflicts will require new approaches to operational medicine, stronger joint integration, empowered enlisted medical personnel, and closer collaboration across the Military Health System. For Navy Medicine, the discussion reinforces that success will increasingly be measured by the ability to generate medically ready forces, sustain clinical currency, and deliver interoperable joint medical capabilities that support distributed and large-scale combat operations.
RADM Via Nominated for VADM and DHA Director Position
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced today that the president has made the following nominations:
Navy Rear Adm. Darin K. Via for appointment to the grade of vice admiral, with assignment as director for Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia. Via is currently serving as surgeon general of the Navy, N093/Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Falls Church, Virginia.
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