Naval Medical Forces Atlantic and Defense Health Network Atlantic Align Healthcare Delivery, Medical Force Readiness, during Leadership Sync

Leaders from Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, Defense Health Network Atlantic, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands, and military treatment facilities met Sept. 9–10, 2026, in Portsmouth, Virginia, to strengthen coordination between healthcare delivery and medical force readiness.

The two-day Leadership Sync brought together MTF directors, operational commanders, and senior staff to discuss priorities, improve collaboration, and advance the mutually supporting missions of caring for beneficiaries and generating a ready medical force.

Guided by the theme,"Operational Excellence by Design: Processes in Support of the Warfighter Mission," the event focused on how commands and MTFs throughout the region—including those at overseas locations—can align processes, resources, and personnel to support both patient care and operational requirements.

“This is an opportunity for us to collectively get together, have meaningful discussions, and better get to know each other," said Rear Adm. Robert Hawkins, Commander of NMFL and Director of DHN Atlantic, during his opening remarks. "If you take nothing else away from this event—all of you and all of your staffs are one team. The importance of that cannot be overstated. The fact is many of the solutions to the challenges we face are sitting right around the tables here in our teams.”

Throughout the event, leadership addressed the operational reality facing co-located MTFs and operational commands, which draw from the same pool of personnel, time, and resources. Delivering high-quality care to service members, families, and retirees serves as the vital foundation where military medical providers sustain critical clinical skills. However, when operational taskings arise, leaders must make deliberate, risk-informed decisions regarding capacity, mission priorities, and patient care absorption.

Sessions focused heavily on the interplay between Expeditionary Medicine (EXMED) force generation and maintaining patient access across the MTFs. Attendees analyzed strategies to absorb clinical workloads and mitigate network strain when medical personnel deploy in support of the Fleet Response Training Plan (FRTP) and real-world taskings.

Participants examined command-and-control relationships—including Administrative Control, Operational Control, and Tactical Control structures—to ensure seamless handoffs during deployments and operational taskings. Reviews centered on clarifying authorities, responsibilities and the decision-making processes when operational requirements affect healthcare delivery.

Attendees further evaluated shore manning distribution, enlisted career pathways, and Reserve Component integration. Leaders also explored how emerging technology and artificial intelligence could streamline processes and preserve more time for clinical care and mission-essential activities.

Scenario-based working groups then encouraged active exchanges where leaders examined how strategic decisions could affect commands and facilities, personnel, patients, and operational requirements throughout the region, including the consequences of prioritizing one mission over the other.

“Our ability to generate ready medical forces and deliver quality care are not competing missions—they are mutually supporting responsibilities,” said Capt. TaRail Vernon, deputy commander of NMFL. “This sync gives our leaders a common understanding of the demands on our people and resources so we can make deliberate decisions, preserve access to care, and ensure our medical teams are ready when the Fleet calls.”

The Leadership Sync concluded with an executive review establishing shared milestones, standardized processes, and policy guidance that leaders can implement across their respective commands.

"One of the most important outcomes from this sync is our unified roadmap," said Capt. Reynese Roberts, DHN Atlantic Deputy Director. "We’ve had the chance to think through a framework together that removes ambiguity for our staffs, optimizes resources, and ultimately ensures that whether we are supporting a deployed warfighter or caring for a military family member at home, we are operating as a highly synchronized medical force."

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