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Navy Surgeon General Testifies Before Congress

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS120322-03
3/22/2012

By Joshua L. Wick, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy Surgeon General told members of Congress March 21, that Navy Medicine collectively remains strong and continues to meet their operational and wartime commitments.

Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan testified Wednesday on the Defense Health Program Budget Overview to members of the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

"Navy Medicine continues to provide world-class care for Sailors, Marines, their families and other beneficiaries around the globe, anytime, anywhere," said Nathan.

Alongside Nathan several other Department of Defense senior medical leaders testified at the hearing, including Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson, M.D.; Surgeon General of the Army Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho and Surgeon General of the Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Bruce Green. The Subcommittee also heard testimony from retired Air Force Col. Steve Strobridge, director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America.

Nathan thanked the committee members for their confidence, support and investment in Navy Medicine's resource requirements. He said their efforts and commitment allow Navy Medicine to deliver a continuum of care from the battlefield to the bedside and from the bedside to unit, family, or transition.

He said that Navy Medicine is strategically aligned with the priorities of the secretary of the Navy, chief of naval operations and commandant of the Marine Corps.

"Each day, we are fully focused on executing the operational missions and core capabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps," said Nathan.

He reiterated, Force Health Protection is Navy Medicine's mission and is the foundation of our continuum of care, in support of the warfighter and optimizes Navy Medicine's ability to operate forward and promote and protect the fleet and Marine forces.

Nathan discussed specific areas of attention from combat casualty care, to the efforts being made to help Sailors and Marines suffering with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as the comprehensive and holistic approach to wounded warrior recovery not only for servicemembers but for the families as well.

"Our wounded, ill and injured service members need to heal in body, mind and spirit and they deserve a seamless and comprehensive approach to their recovery," said Nathan. "Moving forward, we must continue to connect our heroes to approved emerging and advanced diagnostic and therapeutic options both within our medical treatment facilities and outside of military medicine through collaborations with major centers of reconstructive and regenerative medicine. Our commitment to these men and women can never waiver."

Nathan highlighted the work underway at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., and their new and innovative treatments for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. He emphasized the need to further expand the existing partnerships with the other services, Defense Centers of Excellence, Veterans Affairs, and leading academic medical and research centers.

Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, thanked the witnesses for their service and efforts and added that the subcommittee looks forward to working with them.

The Military Personnel Subcommittee is responsible for military personnel policy, Reserve component integration and employment issues, military health care, military education, and POW/MIA issues. This subcommittee ensures service members and their loved ones receive the first-class benefits that they deserve.

As the U.S. Navy Surgeon General and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Nathan leads a global healthcare network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel around the world who provide high-quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.