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Statement of Subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Davis
Military Personnel Subcommittee
Hearing on Mental Health Services
July 12, 2007

"The purpose of today's hearing is to receive the findings of the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. The Task Force was mandated by Congress in the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, and was charged to both assess the military mental health care system and to make recommendations on how to improve it.

"We are fortunate today to have both co-chairs of the Task Force with us: Vice Admiral Donald Arthur, who is also the Surgeon General of the Navy, and Dr. Shelley MacDermid, the Director of the Center for Families at Purdue University and also the Co-Director of the Military Family Research Institute. We are also fortunate to have the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. Ward Casscells, in his first appearance before the Military Personnel Subcommittee. Admiral Arthur and Dr. MacDermid will speak to the findings and recommendations of the Task Force, while Dr. Casscells will be able to tell us how the Department of Defense plans to improve the provision of mental health care. Welcome to you all.

"My understanding is that our panel will make brief opening statements so that we may quickly get to members' questions.

"All of the members of this subcommittee are unanimous in their support for our service members and their families. With multiple, long-term deployments now the norm for our military, mental health is now more important than ever. Whether on the battlefield or back at home, the psychological resilience of our troops and their families plays a central role in the effectiveness of our armed forces. The Final Report of the Task Force on Mental Health makes it clear that substantial changes need to be made to the Military Health System to provide the proper care at the proper time and the proper place.

"Let us be clear that this will be a long process. It will take a sustained effort for the foreseeable future to make the required changes to the Defense Health Program. We will face challenges in recruiting or training additional mental health providers. We will encounter institutional resistance from those who think the current system is adequate. Finally, we will face fiscal challenges. These structural and cultural changes will require significant and continuing financial outlays. Improving and sustaining the mental health care system will be expensive, but we simply cannot afford not to.

"Finally, let me also mention that this may be Admiral Arthur's final hearing before the committee. He is retiring next month after 33 years in uniform. Thank you Admiral, for your many contributions and your faithful service to our nation."