Force Master Chief PatrickPaul (PaP) C. Mangaran, command senior enlisted leader of the Defense Health Agency, brings more than 25 years of exemplary U.S. Navy service and leadership to the role, as well as an historic, multigenerational legacy of military service.
A native of Pittsburg, California, Mangaran enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Sept. 29, 1997, beginning a career grounded in clinical expertise, operational leadership, and a core value of generational mentorship.
From his early service as a medical laboratory technician to his appointment as force master chief, Mangaran’s career spans shipboard assignments, deployments with U.S. Marine Corps units, and multiple command master chief tours.
Mangaran hosted a spirited conversation with the DHA news team in his former office in the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery to reflect on his military career and distill his philosophy of leadership and readiness across the Military Health System.
Question: You come from a family with a rich history of service: Your father served 22 years as a hospital corpsman, and your maternal grandfather and great-grandfather served in wartime. How has that heroic legacy influenced your sense of duty and commitment to service?
Mangaran: I don’t see it as a heroic legacy. It’s just what we do; we serve this country. My father served most of his career as a lab tech and retired as a chief hospital corpsman. My maternal grandfather was an Army officer who trained Philippine guerilla fighters. My maternal great-grandfather was an Army combat medic who escaped after being captured and forced into the Bataan Death March. It’s because of them, their bravery and sacrifice, that I’m here today.
Question: Was there an experience early in your career that taught you about responsibility and leadership?
Mangaran: During my first few commands as a lab tech, I was mentored by some of the people my dad mentored. Their advice — to purposely get lost on the ship — helped me discover new spaces and understand how the ship operated while learning to think through solutions and connect dots. This set me up for success, especially when, as a senior NCO (noncommissioned officer), I found myself in charge of operations at a regimental aid station in Southern California. There were major fires in the area, and the senior chief couldn’t make it in. We had displaced families and Marines throughout the camp that needed medical care. The logistics were complex, and I worked for 72 hours straight, living on energy drinks, until I had to take a knee. Operations went on for a little over 96 hours. That was my defining moment as a chief petty officer. It took a lot of grit to press forward with so many unknowns, like building a plane while you’re flying it. I had to think outside the box and teach others to think outside their own boxes. Once it was over and I saw just how much my team had accomplished, I knew I could lead others through difficult situations. It also solidified for me that I had the ability to find solutions to whatever problems life threw at me.
Question: Looking back on your tours aboard the USS Constellation and USS Tarawa, were there any formative experiences during deployment that shaped your views on leadership and readiness?
Mangaran: Aboard the USS Constellation we got hit with a typical norovirus and had more than 100 patients come through medical. It felt like everyone was sick — even the medical team. Most of us had our own IV bags on while giving patients IVs. It was a crash course in direct patient care: The mission doesn’t change just because “Doc” is down. We have to take care of our warfighters. Period. For the rest of my deployment, I wasn’t just working in the lab. I was also conducting sick call, working on the flight deck as a leading petty officer, and taking care of the other corpsmen.
On USS Tarawa I took on a lot of collateral duty jobs. It was overwhelming and made me realize I needed to learn how to delegate. I try to be as self-sufficient as possible, but I learned that I need to rely on my team, not just myself.
Question: How is your leadership style informed by that lesson of learning how to delegate responsibility?
Mangaran: When I feel compelled to jump in, usually because I’ve seen a specific situation before and want to help, I remind myself that even if I did something a certain way in the past, it might not be the right way to do it today. Leadership is situational.
The year my now 17-year-old son was born, I was the leading chief petty officer (staff noncommissioned officer in charge) of Navy Education and Training Office for 1st Marine Division. He had some medical issues that required multiple hospital visits and hospitalizations during the first few months of his life. I had to lean on my team in order to be physically present with my son during that time. They helped facilitate the combat trauma medicine training and professional development courses we were running, as well as a train-the-trainer course for other chief petty officers on base. Technology allowed me to stay in touch with the team (this was back when we carried Blackberrys) and every course was completed successfully. It was an important lesson in trusting others to get the job done and ensuring my team felt empowered to carry on with the mission in my absence.
Question: As you step into the role of command senior enlisted leader, what are your priorities for the first 90 days?
Mangaran: Beating the drum on our purpose: keeping the warfighter in the fight, keeping our medical teams in the fight, keeping ourselves in the fight. Our deployable warfighters are our priority. We can’t focus on large-scale combat operations if we can’t get warfighters out the door. Whatever your job is, master it. No matter where you are in the organization, it takes all of us working together to meet our military medical mission. I’d also like to see us leverage technology, like AI (artificial intelligence), to increase access to care.
Question: You’ve described your leadership philosophy as R.E.A.L — Relevant, Engaged, Aligned, Listening, Learning, and Leading. How does each component apply to your day-to-day leadership?
Mangaran: Relevant means mastering your job while staying engaged and connected to your teammates so you’re all aligned with our military medical mission. Then it’s about learning, listening, and leading. If you want to be a great leader, first you need to learn how to read a room and understand what people need from you. Above all, listen to everybody, regardless of their military rank, GS level, or contractor status. We’re all human beings.