JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — Lt. Gen. Milford Beagle, commanding general, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, visited the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, December 14-15, 2022. The visit was hosted by the MEDCoE Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Michael Talley.
Talley welcomed Beagle on behalf of the 2,200 personnel in the MEDCoE workforce with a command overview brief attended by nearly three dozen MEDCoE key leaders.
“We’ve got the leadership from our directorates, our Brigade command team, the largest consolidated training brigade in CAC, and we want to tell you a little bit about what we do at the center of excellence,” Talley told Beagle. Tally, who assumed command of the MEDCoE June 2022, said he still learns something new about the command every day and hoped the brief would be enlightening. “It’s truly incredible work that we do here to support the Nation and contribute to the fight.”
Beagle assumed command of CAC, a major subordinate headquarters of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in October 2022. This was his first visit to the MEDCoE, which was realigned from U.S. Army Medical Command to TRADOC and CAC effective October 2, 2019.
In his position as the CAC commanding general, Beagle oversees ten Army centers of excellence, each focused on a separate area of expertise within the Army. Other centers of excellence include aviation, maneuver, fires and cyber. CAC also synchronizes 20 branch-specific schools and seven non-branch schools such as the Command and General Staff College. Combined, they train more than 750,000 Soldiers and service members each year.
During his day-and-a-half visit, Beagle received a command overview brief and took an extensive tour of the MEDCoE. After meeting with the MEDCoE senior staff, Beagle observed hands-on training at the combat flight paramedic, interservice physician assistant, combat medic, practical nurse, operating room and animal care specialist training programs. Beagle ended his visit with an office call with Sgt. Maj. Victor J. Laragione, MEDCoE command sergeant major and senior enlisted advisor.
Beagle remarked that he already observed a lot of the great work the MEDCoE has been doing from afar through situation reports and social media. He was pleased to get the opportunity to see the organization in person.
Beagle applauded the medical training and education institution’s recruiting initiatives and efforts to meet the Army’s People First strategy. “We all have other major missions to do,” Beagle explained. “When you can do these things with everything else the Army needs you to do, then your team sticks out; your team sticks out.”
In addition to observing training, Beagle also engaged with MEDCoE senior leaders during a working lunch at Rocco Dinning Facility, held a leader professional development session with students attending the Basic Officer Leader Course and took the time to recognize over a dozen Soldiers and civilians with coin presentations for excellence during the visit.
“I’m not here to distract from anything you do, but to add to and help bolster what you are doing and ensure it is elevated up to TRADOC,” Beagle said. CAC is also the TRADOC and U.S. Army's lead organization for lessons learned, doctrine, training, education, functional training, fielded force integration, the Army Leader Development Program, Army Profession Program, Army Training Support System Enterprise, Army Training and Education Management Enterprise and the Combat Training Center Program. He was pleased to see that the MEDCoE mission and priorities were well nested with CAC and TRADOC. “I appreciate your time and all of the great information.”
The MEDCoE trains over 30,000 of the Army’s medical personnel annually. With 21 enlisted military occupational specialties and 104 officer areas of concentration in 192 programs, everyone from doctors, nurses, dentists, and veterinarians to combat medics, behavioral health specialists, veterinary food inspectors and medical logistics specialists train at the MEDCoE at some point in their career.
“The MEDCoE Team epitomizes what it means to drive change, develop leaders, and be good stewards of our Army and medical profession in everything they do,” Beagle said at the conclusion of his visit referencing the shared CAC and MEDCoE priority lines of effort. “MEDCoE understands that we are not judged by our intentions but by our actions: this team acts in a positive, purposeful, and impactful way for our Army.”
Visit the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence and U.S. Army Combined Arms Center websites for more information.
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