Joint Force Quarterly
Abstract
This article argues that the changing global security environment requires the United States to treat the military health system and the broader national health systems enterprise as strategic national capabilities rather than primarily as peacetime healthcare services. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and growing risks of large-scale conflict, the authors contend that future crises could produce military and civilian casualty levels that exceed the capacity of existing military medical systems. They emphasize the need for military health services to operate as part of an integrated civil-military health system capable of supporting deployed forces, receiving and rehabilitating casualties, responding to attacks on the homeland, and absorbing major strategic shocks. The article also compares the U.S. military health system with those of allies and strategic competitors, arguing that current assessments often understate the importance of scale, surge capacity, and national integration. The authors conclude that the national health systems enterprise should be viewed as a strategic asset comparable to the defense-industrial complex, requiring sustained investment, civil-military coordination, and planning for large-scale contingency operations and national emergencies.
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