In a memo dated August 5 to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the secretaries and branch chiefs of each armed service warned that the planned move to transfer all medical facilities to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) “creates unnecessary complexity and increases inefficiency and cost.”

The proposed military health care reform was planned by Congress in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, but military officials say the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that that transferring all medical entities to DHA was “not viable.”

“The proposed DHA end-state represents unsustainable growth with a disparate intermediate structure that hinders coordination of service medical response to contingencies such as a pandemic,” according to the memo which was obtained by a Synopsis reporter and Military.com.

Lisa Lawrence, a public affairs officer at the Pentagon said the DoD will continue to pursue reforms outlined in the 2017 NDAA.

“The Department remains focused on ensuring the Services maintain a medically ready force and a ready medical force, as well as [ensuring] all eligible beneficiaries have continued access to quality health care,” said Lawrence.

Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jonathon D. A. Carnell