Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va.--New Chief of Staff of the Army James C. McConville has not backed off on readiness as a critical focus of the Army. His overall priority is "People", but that priority breaks down into three components: readiness, modernization, and reform.
Medical readiness of Soldiers was the focus of two-day, Command-sponsored Medical Readiness and Deployability Operational Planning Team. The team met on Sept. 4-5, 2019, at the Defense Health Headquarters and was hosted by the Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) G-37 Medical Readiness Team. This meeting was the first opportunity to pull medical readiness leaders from across the Army together with the goal to define the requirements of a medical readiness system that will accurately identify and classify a Soldier's deployability at the operational, service, and Department of Defense level.
Key strategic, operational and medical readiness leaders were invited from Army Forces Command, Army Medical Command, Army Training and Doctrine Command, Headquarters Department of the Army, the Army National Guard and Reserve, Defense Health Headquarters, and other medical stakeholders.
The reason for convening the OPT was straightforward: Commanders at all levels need better visibility of Soldiers with medical deployment limitations. The current Medical Readiness Classification (MRC) System does not accurately reflect medical readiness and deployability status as outlined in current DOD and Army policies.
The OPT tackled three issues: Defining, Measuring, and Reporting of medical readiness as these three issues relate to deployability.
"Defining" covered medical and personnel criteria and regulatory standards and requirements that determine whether individual Soldiers and units have the medical capability to meet their mission. Defining also addressed the ability of commanders at all levels to make operational and strategic decisions to meet the Army mission.
The topic of "Measuring" medical readiness addressed collection, measurement, and categorization of medical data to determine medical requirements with regard to deployability. Again, the goal is to ensure the capability to execute military duty requirements.
The final topic was "Reporting." Reporting refers to standardized and transparent medical readiness metrics and deployability information. Reporting requires a technology platform that provides supporting data on Soldiers, Commands at all levels, the DoD, and Army Medicine and also meets any regulatory requirements.
These three issues were discussed by breakout groups who then returned to share their thoughts on issues limiting visibility and management of Soldiers who fall into a medically "non-deployable" status.
The need is to more readily inform Commanders and medical personnel on requirements and deficiencies needed for deployment. Soldiers also need to be organized into required reporting categories that inform Army Senior Leaders and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the Army's deployability status. In addition, Soldiers need to be identified with deployment-limiting medical conditions for servicemembers and DoD civilian employees per DODI 6490.07 and Geographic Combatant Command medical requirements.
Army readiness remains everyone's job, and medical readiness is a key part of overall readiness. Medical readiness issues that hinder deployment planning and operations of the Soldiers (and the ability to deploy a medical force that is trained and ready to support the Army in a high-intensity conflict and any directed mission) are under close examination.
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