US Air Force to Introduce Medical Commands to Enhance Personnel Health, Readiness

The U.S. Air Force will introduce two regional Air Force Medical Commands to improve personnel health and readiness across the Air Force Medical Service.

The AFMED regions will help modernize the AFMS in a way that can better support Air Force and Space Force medical readiness while integrating the Defense Health Agency authorities for health care operations in treatment facilities that support Department of the Air Force installations. The Air Force hopes to get two regional AFMED commands up to initial operation capability by Oct. 1, DVIDS reported.

Stephen Mounts, associate deputy surgeon general at the Air Force, shared that AFMED will provide clear direction to local leaders within DAF medical installations to improve response times, policies and mission success.

The U.S. defense sector has been working to improve health care capabilities in recent months.

In late July, DHA assistant director for component acquisition Donald Johnson said the agency wants to partner with the private industry and academia to improve military health care through artificial intelligence technologies. According to Johnson, AI-enabled gadgets and processes can support predictive analytics.

In September 2022, the U.S. Navy awarded CACI International a five-year, $123.4 million task order to extend defense health readiness engineering support to the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.