The Military Health System must remain focused on its core purpose: ensuring warfighters are ready, lethal, and supported by a highly effective medical system.
Speaking at the 2026 MHS Conference in Dallas May 27, Keith Bass, the assistant secretary of war for health affairs, outlined his priorities to the capacity crowd of 2,600. While acknowledging that the MHS is one of the nation’s largest and most complex healthcare networks — serving 9.5 million beneficiaries on a $68 billion budget — Bass made it clear that clinical metrics are not the ultimate measure of success.
“Most people say our main mission is to provide high-quality healthcare — but our mission is readiness,” he emphasized.
Since taking the oath of office Jan....
