Health Readiness Policy & Oversight

The Director, HRP&O Medical Countermeasures (MCM) develops policies and guidance for MCM to protect U.S. forces against current and future chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats and emerging infectious diseases. Responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs (ASD(NCB)) on MCM research, development, and acquisition issues;
• Representing Health Affairs on MCM issues with interagency partners primarily through the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise, e.g., by providing guidance for Strategic National Stockpile priorities and national MCM strategies;
• Working closely with Immunization Branch issuing vaccine guidance for seasonal influenza and emerging infectious diseases with pandemic potential; and
• Overseeing the DoD-VA Chemical and Biological Warfare Exposure System.

The Director of HRP&O Medical Preparedness Policy (MPP) represents the ASD(HA) in working with the OSD, the interagency partners, and the National Security Council to plan and prepare for DOD's medical response to naturally occurring or man-made disasters and contingencies at the national level when requested by civilian authorities or directed by the Secretary of Defense. This work is done in close collaboration with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security (OASD/HD&GS) to ensure DOD's public health and medical response activities are consistent with the Department's policy for conducting Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) missions. MPP also develops and implements policies within the Military Health System (MHS) that oversees the MHS response to disasters, public health emergencies and mass casualty events that occur on or near military installations. The Director, MPP, in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency, assists with developing policy and implementing programs to provide health care throughout the MHS to non-DOD beneficiaries and coalition members via specialized programs and international agreements.

The Director of Operational Medicine provides expertise in medical force readiness and key activities, which include Operational Medicine Policy Development and Oversight in:

• Contingency casualty management capabilities, patient movement, and Joint Trauma System, including mTBI and other neurocognitive aspects, and government civilian and contractor deployment health care, and spanning U.S. capabilities to host nation and multinational capabilities;
• Collaboration on Force Health Protection, and biothreat, and chemical threat contingency countermeasures;
• Joint readiness commonalilty including Essential Medical Capabilities, concept required capabilities, Concepts of Operations, and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities;
• Medical training requirements from first responders and prehospital prolonged resuscitative care platforms to theater hospitalization, including casualty care, and most effective simulation modalities to reduce live animal usage;
• Future capabilities development (knowledge, materiel, for outcomes and processes) to include senior leader contingency education and training; and 
• Development of JC&DS requirements for identifying medical capability gaps. 

HRP&O Preventive Medicine policy director enhances operational readiness by reducing preventable causes of disease and injury and ensures that contingency capabilities for future medical threats are maintained, exercised and accountable. Provides risk assessment and oversight for public health threats to national security including:

• Pandemic Influenza/Emerging Infectious Disease Preparedness: Develops, updates and provides oversight of medical policies and procedures that establish MHS goals and objectives for responding to diseases of public health concern.
• Preventable Causes of Disease: Develops policies and oversees programs concerning the MHS efforts to reduce injury and illness that adversely impact on deployment readiness.
• Public Health Threats: Provides assurance to DOD that the MHS has adequate policies and procedures in place to identify, react and mitigate risk from public health threats impacting DOD readiness.

The HRP&O Director of Reserve Component Medical Programs and Policy advises and assists the ASD HA on all Reserve Component matters, develops Reserve Component specific health policies, and provides oversight for programs affecting the readiness of the Reserve Component. This includes:

• Optimizing policies and monitoring programs that ensure optimal manning of RC health care providers throughout the deployment life cycle;
• Ensuring policies and programs support the unique health care requirements for RC members with injuries, illnesses or diseases incurred in the line of duty;
• Sustaining Active-Reserve component force mix, including domestic contingencies;
• Managing RC automated readiness analysis programs;
• Optimizing RC equities for implementation of Health Affairs initiatives and legislative changes; and
• Enhancing RC training programs to cost-effectively meet medical mission requirements, including use of emerging technologies and simulation.