DTRA Talks Mission with DOD Surgeons

Photo By Sunghee Chon | FORT BELVOIR, Virginia - The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) partnered with the Joint Staff Surgeon’s Office to conduct, an “Evolving Threats Forum” at DTRA’s Fort Belvoir headquarters, Dec.6. The forum focused on bridging existing gaps of understanding between DTRA’s science and technology capabilities and the surgeons general medical force needs.  

FORT BELVOIR, VA, UNITED STATES

12.10.2019

Story by Darnell Gardner 

Defense Threat Reduction Agency

FORT BELVOIR, Virginia - The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) partnered with the Joint Staff Surgeon’s Office to conduct, an “Evolving Threats Forum” at DTRA’s Fort Belvoir headquarters, Dec.6.
Surgeons general from the Department of Defense and interagency participated in the forum, including those from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for Health Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the Defense Health Agency, Military Service Surgeons, and Combatant Command Surgeons.
The forum focused on bridging existing gaps of understanding between DTRA’s science and technology capabilities and the surgeons general medical force needs. Through joint road mapping, agencies discussed establishing approaches that align mission objectives, paving the way for potential future collaborations on the development of innovative layered defense measures that enhance warfighter capabilities to counter the evolving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threat.
“It is our desire to increase your understanding of this Agency and some of the activities it conducts and investments it is making that are relevant to you and your organizations,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Darsie Rogers, DTRA’s deputy director. “DTRA’s counter WMD portfolio encompasses a vast amount of chemical and biological technologies that requires integration from a medical perspective. I appreciate that you have taken the time to improve your understanding of the threats we face and the efforts DTRA makes to counter those threats and the networks that support them.”
Dr. Ron Hann, DTRA’s director for Research and Development – Chemical and Biological (RDCB) collaborated with Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Paul Friedrichs, the Joint Staff Surgeon, to encourage wider adoption from defense-wide surgeons to broaden threat agent engagements among interagency and international partners. In depth mission overviews detailing areas involving DTRA’s cooperative threat reduction, threat briefs and an overview of medically related investments being made in the Chemical Biological Defense Program were delivered to attendees focusing on threat awareness and surprise mitigation.
“This event presented itself as opportunity for DTRA RDCB to gather DoD Medical Senior Leaders and present them with the most current biological threats facing the Department,” stated Hann. “We have compartmentalized information that directly address the needs of the DOD Surgeon’s Office and how we can integrate our efforts to build and sustain a more lethal force.”
Friedrichs explained that this collaboration is an opportunity to gain an understanding of the threats DTRA is working on and how that can potentially drive Force Surgeon activities, which can ultimately allow for improved medical technology utilization to better ensure warfighter survivability on and off the battlefield. He further described that a Joint Medical Estimate will be published, detailing medical gaps and risk-to-mission, risk-to-force concerns for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of Defense.
“This relationship will enable us to better craft a comprehensive Joint Medical Estimate that incorporates DTRA capabilities and how we can further develop and deploy medical forces that keep warfighters fit for the fight,” said Friedrichs.

• Date Taken: 12.10.2019
• Date Posted: 12.10.2019 19:01
• Story ID: 355158
• Location: FORT BELVOIR, VA, US