WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 12, 2007) - Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, Army Surgeon General and commanding general of Army Medical Command, submitted his request to retire from the U.S. Army to Acting Secretary of the Army Pete Geren. Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, current Deputy Surgeon General, assumed Kiley's duties until a successor is named.
Geren further directed immediate convening of the required advisory board who will recommend a slate of candidates from among officers in the Army medical department for consideration as the next Surgeon General. The officer ultimately selected must be approved by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
"We must move quickly to fill this position - this leader will have a key role in moving the way forward in meeting the needs of our wounded warriors," Geren said. "We have an Army action plan underway under the leadership of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General Dick Cody, and the Surgeon General has a critical role in the execution of that plan. I am confident Maj. Gen. Pollock will ably lead the Army Medical Department during this transition period."
"I submitted my retirement because I think it is in the best interest of the Army," Kiley said yesterday. "I want to allow Acting Secretary Geren, General Schoomaker, and the leaders of the Army Medical Command to focus completely on the way ahead, and the Army Action Plan to improve all aspects of Soldier care. We are an Army Medical Department at war, supporting an Army at war - it shouldn't be and it isn't about one doctor.
"It has been my honor, and my privilege to serve this nation and her Soldiers for over 30 years," Kiley said. "I have the greatest respect for former Secretary Harvey, Acting Secretary Geren, and the senior Army leadership under General Schoomaker and General Cody. And, I could not be prouder of the incredible Americans in the Army Medical Command who care for the warriors who have volunteered and sacrificed so much to defend our country and our way of life. I was blessed to have walked among them."
"We thank Lt. Gen Kiley for his dedication to duty and long years of service," said Acting Secretary Geren today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he briefed the hospital staff on the Army action plan.
Pollock became the Deputy Surgeon General in October 2006. Pollock received a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Maryland. She is a graduate of the U.S. Army nurse anesthesia program and is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. She also holds multiple master degrees in business administration from Boston University, healthcare administration from Baylor University as well as a master's in national security and strategy from the National Defense University and is an honorary doctorate of public service from the University of Maryland. She is also a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
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