Enhancing Military Readiness Through Technology Convergence: Why Military Medicine Is Behind and How We Move Forward
Abstract
Despite first-rate medical providers, superb casualty survivability and seven percent of the $686 billion-dollar Department of Defense budget, the military health system has been unable to successfully affect medical readiness of the Joint Force. The Department of Defense is making great strides to provide combat-credible military forces, yet its health service support organizations are still using concepts from the 1950s. This lag in health services adding value to the Joint Force, in part, led to the creation of the Defense Health Agency. This agency claims to have a renewed focus on operational readiness, yet it does not have the authority nor experience to truly execute this assertion. In order to aid the Joint Forces competitive stance, civilian and military health leaders must reevaluate the implementation of emerging medical technologies across the range of military operations. Addressing underlying ethical concerns of employing emergent technologies, this paper examines the issues through the lenses of the military health system, warfighter, and societal impact.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 16, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1181376
Entities
People
- Raymond Jr Posey
Organizations
- Naval War College