Health and Readiness Committee

U.S. Air Force Maj. Joanna Ho, left, 18th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron director of psychological health, and Airman 1st Class Miranda Lugo, right, 18th OMRS mental health technician and Guardian Wingman trainer, present a poster for Guardian Wingman at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 11, 2021.

Mission

In a time of heightened political sensitivity, our mission is to provide clear, fact-based information, grounded in science, data, and professional experience. We aim to publish thoughtful articles and papers that reinforce medicine’s essential function as a public health enterprise—one that supports not just military effectiveness but the broader well-being and resilience of our nation as a whole. Through this work, we hope to engage and inform decision-makers and the general public alike, upholding what we understand to be the core principles of our profession and advocating for the central importance of health in national strategy.

Strategic Concerns

• Reforms to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) are vital for improving care delivery and operational efficiency

• A large threat to Service Members today is the military mental health crisis, and the high rate of suicide in our Armed Forces. Today’s Service Members may experience or respond to military stressors differently than past generations.

• The rising rate of obesity in the U.S. military has become a pressing threat to readiness, disqualifying tens of thousands of potential recruits.

• Extended deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have contributed to an increase in mental health challenges, chronic physical conditions, and injuries related to blast exposure.

Health and Readiness Substack

Health and Readiness Commentary

• https://www.americansecurityproject.org/white-paper-ready-the-reserve-obesitys-impacts-on-national-guard-and-reserve-readiness/

Health and Readiness Resources

• https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data-and-statistics/adult-obesity-prevalence-maps.html

Contributions

If you would like to learn more about the ACNSL Health and Readiness Committee or contribute to its work, please email justin@acnsl.net

Committee Chair

Brigadier General Stephen Xenakis, MD

Committee Members

• MG Gale Pollock, US Army, Retired

• MG Peggy Wilmoth, US Army, Retired

• Ambassador Donald Booth, Retired

• LtGen John Castellaw, US Marine Corps, Retired

• RADM Joseph Diguardo, US Navy, Retired

• MG Paul Eaton, US Army, Retired