Skip subpage navigation
The Defense Health Agency is the nation’s medical Combat Support Agency, providing or augmenting medical capabilities of the Combatant Commands, the military services, federal partners and partners and allies around the world. As one of the Defense Department’s combat support agencies, DHA works to provide combat forces with capabilities they do not possess, or possess in insufficient quantity. In cooperation with the Joint Staff Surgeon and Military Department medical organizations, DHA leads the Department of Defense integrated system of readiness and health through a global health care network of military and civilian medical professionals, including military hospitals and clinics around the world, to improve and sustain operational medical force readiness and the medical readiness of the Armed Forces.
Enhancing Military Readiness through Combat Support Capabilities
The DHA provides support for operating forces engaged in planning for, or conducting, military operations, including support during conflict or in the conduct of other military activities related to countering threats to U.S. national security. Among DHA’s most important combat support responsibilities is its work to increase readiness of U.S. forces to carry out their deployed missions.
The DHA fulfills its combat support responsibilities through capabilities including several components that provide crucial expertise and support to the Combatant Commands. Liaison officers within Combatant Commands enable direct contact with DHA, help the DHA better understand Combatant Command needs, and give the Combatant Commands better understanding of DHA capabilities.
The DHA is a critical enabler, working with the Military Departments to advance the health and readiness of U.S. forces and to manage the medical readiness platforms that keep the medical force ready to support operations worldwide. Working in close coordination with the Joint Staff Surgeon, the DHA provides medical-related combat support capabilities that apply across all phases of military operations, including:
You also may be interested in...
Article
Feb 18, 2021
Dr. David Eliason, of the Vision Center of Excellence, says low vision awareness is about prevention, detection, and continuing treatment.
Article
Feb 18, 2021
DHA offers funding grants for high-value research that supports better care, better health, and increased readiness, with lower costs.
Article
Feb 17, 2021
STIs are important to identify and treat because they can impact service members’ health and readiness, as well as their ability to perform their duties.
Article
Feb 4, 2021
The MCC serves as the preeminent cancer research and treatment facility within the Department of Defense.
Report
Feb 1, 2021
.PDF |
898.85 KB
A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles:
Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2020;
Historical perspective: The evolution of post-exposure prophylaxis for vivax malaria since the Korean War;
Surveillance for vector-borne diseases among active and ...
Article
Jan 29, 2021
Hospital staff continued to take COVID-19 precautions during the event to ensure a safe learning environment.
Article
Jan 21, 2021
Army Sgt. Metcalf and Spc. Galdamez prepare to compete in the 2021 Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. U.S. Army Best Medic Competition later in the month at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Article
Jan 14, 2021
Gutierrez said she was genuinely surprised and honored to represent medicine’s "hidden profession.”
Article
Jan 13, 2021
Refractive surgery is any surgery that eliminates the need for glasses or contact lenses.
Article
Jan 11, 2021
DoD has launched My MilLife Guide, a new program that sends text messages designed to help the military community boost overall wellness while navigating stresses related to COVID-19.
Fact Sheet
Jan 8, 2021
.PDF |
80.83 KB
A reference for potential EWSC students.
Report
Jan 1, 2021
.PDF |
1.06 MB
A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles:
Attrition rates and incidence of mental health disorders in an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cohort, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2014–2018;
The prevalence of attention-deficit ...
Article
Dec 30, 2020
Medics of the 2nd Medical Group are becoming a whole lot more lethal, in a good way.
Article
Dec 30, 2020
How patient-doctor communication improves the health care experience.
Article
Dec 23, 2020
The Military Health System is reviewing how it kept warfighters mission-ready and units online in 2020 during the ongoing pandemic.
You are leaving Health.mil
The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense of non-U.S. Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the Defense Health Agency may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for Department of Defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.
You are leaving Health.mil
View the external links disclaimer.
Last Updated: July 02, 2024