USU President Woodson Marks America’s 250th With a Call to Continue the “Experiment”
BLUF – USU President Dr. Jonathan Woodson marked America’s 250th anniversary by emphasizing that the nation’s founding ideals remain an ongoing “experiment” requiring each generation’s commitment, highlighting military medical professionals as future leaders who will continue serving both in uniform and as civilian healthcare leaders after their military careers. For Navy Medicine, the message reinforces that developing clinicians who are simultaneously caregivers, operational leaders, innovators, and public servants is central to sustaining the Military Health System’s readiness mission and long-term contribution to the nation.
https://news.usuhs.edu/2026/07/usu-president-woodson-marks-americas.html
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Facial Hair Grooming Standards Update
BLUF – NAVADMIN 162/26 announces the policy update for medical shaving waivers which are authorized only for prescribed medical treatment. COs may approve waivers not to exceed 12 consecutive months. Sailors reporting for duty without a current, approved waiver must be clean-shaven.
Below are the official documents, but here are Task & Purpose and Navy Times articles about them.
FY28 Promotion Board Deferment for Medical Department Officers
I don’t see any reason someone in Navy Medicine would want to request deferment, but I wanted to put the message out. Perhaps back in the day when some communities were overmanned and people were getting separated after failing to select twice, but that is not the situation we are in nowadays. I don’t see anyone (unless they are in trouble) getting kicked out, so you might as well be considered for promotion. That is my $0.02 anyway.
Fair Winds and Following Seas to RADM Freedman – RADM Case is Acting Surgeon General of Navy
Navy Medicine Shipmates,
As I step away from a military career that began in 1989, my heart is full of gratitude. Reflecting on nearly four decades of service, I am struck by the incredible evolution of our force and moved by the spirit and quality of the people I have been privileged to serve alongside.
Whether you are a hospital corpsman, a physician, dentist, nurse, administrator, clinician, scientist, civilian or contractor, you are the lifeblood of this organization. With steadfast dedication to our mission, each one of you contributes more than you know – you are the reason we remain the finest Navy in the world.
I remain profoundly humbled to have been part of this incredible team, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with men and women who sacrifice so much to ensure the health and readiness of our Sailors and Marines. As I depart, I remain confident in and excited about the future of Navy Medicine.
As I leave, Navy Medicine will be in the steady hands of Rear Adm. Matthew Case who will serve as Acting Surgeon General. He is a familiar face to all of you, having served as executive assistant to the 39th Surgeon General, as Commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, and most recently as acting Deputy Director of the Defense Health Agency. He is intimately familiar with the complexities of our mission and brings a level of expertise and a genuine passion for serving our warfighters that is second to none. You are in good hands.
Thank you for your dedication and sacrifices, your excellence, and your friendship. It has been the journey of a lifetime. I would do it all again without any hesitation. It has been an honor serving with you.
Fair winds and following seas, Navy Medicine. Go Win Today!
Sincerely,
RADM Rick Freedman
Dental Corps, United States Navy
Acting Surgeon General of the Navy
Acting Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Matthew Case, a native of Nottingham, New Hampshire, poses for an official portrait as the acting Navy Surgeon General; acting chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; Director, Medical Service Corps. Navy Medicine’s 44,000+ talented and ready forces optimize health readiness, deliver quality healthcare, and provide global expeditionary medical support to warfighters from point of injury to higher roles of care. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sasha Ambrose)
Expanded Operational Stress Control and Warrior Toughness
BLUF – The Navy has released the Warrior Toughness Playbook. Warrior Toughness is the Navy’s program for giving
Sailors the tools to perform under pressure and in the daily grind. It is built on four pillars: Toughness, Resilience,
Optimizing Performance, and Mitigating Stress.
The Operational Imperative That Almost Wasn’t
BLUF – The article argues that the Pentagon’s new Warfighter Performance Optimization initiative builds on more than a decade of work by U.S. Special Operations Command’s Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) program and the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) model, moving human performance, cognitive readiness, and brain health from isolated programs to enterprise-level readiness requirements with standardized metrics and accountability. For Navy Medicine, the key takeaway is that military healthcare is increasingly expected to support force readiness beyond traditional clinical care by embedding expertise in human performance, cognitive optimization, injury prevention, nutrition, and data-driven readiness programs directly alongside operational units.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/operational-imperative-almost-wasnt-mary-womack-8mhxe
Academic Year 2026-2027 DARK TRIDENT Call for Applications
This seems like a line focused initiative, but Staff Corps Officers seem to be eligible to apply…
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 