{"id":65524,"date":"2019-06-13T01:09:14","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T01:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/06\/13\/medical-cuts-could-cause-irreversible-damage\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:51:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:51:06","slug":"medical-cuts-could-cause-irreversible-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/06\/13\/medical-cuts-could-cause-irreversible-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical cuts could cause irreversible damage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Change is a constant in the military. Military medicine has undergone numerous sea-changes over the past four decades, including the switch from a drafted force to an all-volunteer force, downsizing, the development of the TRICARE system, the implementation of TRICARE for Life, and now \u2014 more downsizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through to the present, the system has handled all these challenges successfully (some smoother than others). In these past evolutions, there was sufficient time and flexibility for the system to absorb the changes without damaging its foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, veterans of these exercises, myself included, are concerned the magnitude and timeline of today\u2019s proposed changes are too great to absorb without fundamental damage to its infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DoD\u2019s FY 2020 budget is calling for the elimination of 18,000 medical billets, or about 20 percent of the force. While DoD has provided few specifics, the stated goals are to streamline the Military Health System (MHS), empower the Defense Health Agency to expand and execute its assigned mission, and move excess medical manpower resources to enhance warfighting \u201clethality\u201d while improving the delivery of health care to MHS beneficiaries. These objectives seem sound and reasonable and deserve to be fully supported. The question is, will the plans \u2014 as outlined \u2014 accomplish those missions?<\/p>\n\n\n\t