Courtesy Photo | Capt. Janiese Cleckley (center-right) and Master Chief Richard Moreno (right) meet...... read more read more
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Leaders from Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, which is supported by Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms, visited the 412th Medical Group at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) on May 14, 2026, to strengthen cross-service collaboration and identify new opportunities to improve medical readiness, emergency response coordination, and healthcare delivery across the Mojave Desert region.
The visit brought together Navy Medicine and Air Force military treatment facility leaders to discuss shared operational challenges associated with providing healthcare in geographically isolated environments and explore ways to improve interoperability, training, resource sharing, and continuity of care between the two organizations. The collaboration reflects Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs Keith Bass’ emphasis on partnerships as force multipliers across the Military Health System, encouraging greater integration between military and federal healthcare organizations to support warfighter readiness and high-quality care. The visit also supports Defense Health Agency Director Vice Adm. Darin K. Via’s efforts to deliver joint warfighting capabilities by integrating medical operations seamlessly across all branches of the military.
“Our two commands have established cross-service partnerships which are mission-critical to combat what we call the ‘tyranny of the desert,’” explained Capt. Janiese Cleckley, director of Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms and commanding officer of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms. “Operating as isolated commands within a vast regional medical desert, joint collaborations like this are essential to ensure uninterrupted, high-acuity care and optimize limited medical resources. These visits strengthen our partnerships as part of the Mojave Desert Commander’s Group.”
During the visit, Cleckley and members of the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms leadership team met with commander and director of the 412th Medical Group, 412th Test Wing, Col. Mary Carnduff and toured several recently renovated medical facilities across Edwards AFB, including dental, mental health, and physical therapy clinics, as well as the installation’s education and training office, simulation laboratory, and ambulance garage.
The 412th Medical Group recently completed a $26.3 million renovation of its medical clinic campus, significantly expanding its medical training and operational capabilities. One of the major highlights of the visit was the installation’s state-of-the-art education, training, and simulation center, which can train personnel on a wide range of emergency medical scenarios including heart attacks, arterial bleeds, and childbirth emergencies.
Cleckley shared that the visit highlighted their shared operational hurdles.
"While we are different branches of service, we operate as a unified front against the systemic challenges of the isolated Mojave medical desert," she expressed.
Cleckley added that both commands operate significant distances from Level I and Level II civilian trauma centers, making emergency stabilization and medical readiness especially critical.
“We both are situated in austere environments with a ‘tyranny of distance’ from the nearest Level I or II civilian trauma centers, making emergency stabilization critical,” Cleckley said. “Both sites also operate in climates featuring triple-digit summer temperatures, arid conditions, and rugged terrain. However, we both have dedicated staff who are innovative, excited to work, and eager to cross-collaborate with us.”
The partnership between the two organizations has already resulted in operational collaboration. Personnel assigned to Branch Health Clinic China Lake have been supporting Edwards AFB with occupational health services by coordinating laboratory and X-ray support at Edwards while facilitating follow-on evaluations with Navy medical providers at China Lake.
Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms and the 412th Medical Group are also exploring future opportunities for emergency management training and participation in joint tabletop exercises focused on coordinated responses to large-scale medical emergencies and contingency operations.
“We also plan to work with the 412th Medical Group on further collaboration such as emergency management training opportunities and participating in upcoming tabletop exercises to demonstrate how our commands can handle emergency medical situations as one force,” Cleckley said.
Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms director for clinical support services Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Magare said his goal during the visit was to establish a strategic partnership focused on improving operational readiness and developing resource-sharing initiatives to help address staffing and supply challenges.
“The primary purpose for my directorate was to establish a strategic partnership focused on maximizing operational readiness,” Magare said. “We explored collaborative avenues to expand staff knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and developed joint resource-sharing initiatives to proactively mitigate localized manning and supply shortfalls.”
Magare said discussions focused heavily on developing bilateral technician and provider support frameworks designed to prevent disruptions in patient care during staffing shortages while simultaneously expanding clinical proficiency opportunities for medical personnel from both organizations.
“This collaboration directly impacts force health readiness by allowing Edwards personnel to master complex KSAs at Twentynine Palms,” Magare said. “Key impact areas include radiology, expanding capabilities from basic X-ray to advanced CT imaging; laboratory services, providing hands-on proficiency in critical transfusion services; and pharmacy, elevating outpatient staff with comprehensive inpatient pharmacy experience.”
Magare added that expanding the partnership will help create a more agile and interoperable medical force capable of sustaining high-quality patient care despite the logistical and environmental challenges associated with operating in isolated locations.
“By expanding this partnership, we will build a more agile and interoperable medical force,” Magare said. “The primary benefits include expanded KSA cross-training, yielding a more versatile and combat-ready staff, and establishing a robust shared logistics network that ensures continuous, high-quality patient care regardless of isolated supply or personnel shortages.”
Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms director for medical services Lt. Cmdr. Pamela Cole Foss agreed that the visit helped identify major future opportunities for regional collaboration and joint emergency management training between the two organizations.
“I believe that we can increase training opportunities — specifically emergency management opportunities to train together,” Foss said. “By establishing reliable points of contact with our peers, we can potentially collaborate on coverage for patient care needs if feasible.”
The visit highlighted the continued emphasis across the Defense Health Agency and Military Health System on interoperability, integrated medical operations, and cross-service collaboration to ensure military medical teams remain prepared to support patient care and operational readiness missions in some of the nation’s most geographically isolated environments.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2026 16:46 |
| Story ID: | 565952 |
| Location: | EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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