Deputy Assistant Director, Medical Logistics, J-4
Capt. Eskinder (Alex) Dagnachew is currently serving as the Defense Health Agency (DHA) J-4 and Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) for Medical Logistics. Medical logistics is a shared joint activity under the direction, authority, and control of the DHA. His primary responsibility is to promote standardized medical supplies and equipment, joint interoperability of operational medical capabilities, and efficiency in the acquisition and lifecycle management of medical materiel.
Capt. Dagnachew was raised in upstate New York and graduated from Clinton High School, Clinton, New York. In 1985, he enlisted in the United States Navy as a Dental Technician. His first duty station was the Naval Dental Center, Parris Island, South Carolina. Subsequently, he deployed on the USS Guam in support of Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm with 22nd Dental Company, 2nd Dental Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group. In 1991, he received orders to the National Naval Dental Center, Bethesda, Maryland. He completed a Bachelor Degree in Health Care Management from Southern Illinois University in 1993.
In 1995, Dagnachew was commissioned as an Ensign in the Medical Service Corps. After completing Officer Indoctrination School in Newport, Rhode Island, he was stationed at Naval Ambulatory Care Center, Port Hueneme, California from September 1995 to September 1998. While at Port Hueneme, he served as the Head, Management Information Division and Assistant Department Head for Managed Care. His next assignment was to Naval Medical Logistics Command (NMLC), Fort Detrick, Maryland from October 1998 to December 2000. During his tour at NMLC, he completed the Financial and Material Management Training Course. Dagnachew served in a dual role as Administrative Officer for NMLC and the Executive Assistant to Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) M4 (Fleet Support & Logistics). His next assignment was to U.S. Naval Hospital Keflavik, Iceland, where he served as Department Head for the Materiel Management Department from December 2000 to September 2002. While stationed at USNH Keflavik, he received the Surgeon General’s Best Business Practice Award.
From October 2002 to June 2005 Dagnachew served as the Department Head, Materiel Management and at the mid-point of his tour fleeted up to be the Comptroller/Director of Resources. This assignment was located at the Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC), Silver Spring, Maryland. While serving at NMRC, Lt. Dagnachew received a Masters Degree in Science Administration from Central Michigan University in 2004. In July 2005, Lt. Dagnachew served as the Department Head, Materiel Management, Regional Acquisition Officer for Navy Medicine East (NME), and the Designated Senior Logistician for the Mid-Atlantic Region from August 2005 to November 2008. While at NMCP and NME, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and selected as Senior Shore Materiel Manager of the Year in 2006.
In November of 2008 he received orders to BUMED as Deputy Chief of Logistics. In 2010, Lt. Cmdr. Dagnachew was by-name selected to serve as the Regional Medical Logistician, NME. He worked closely with BUMED M8 (Financial Management) and NME M8, preparing all NME commands for the Navy financial audit. In September 2011, he was promoted to Commander and in May 2013 he reported onboard as the Officer in Charge of Branch Health Clinic Atsugi, Japan, home of the only permanently forward deployed Carrier Air Wing. He then served as the Director for Administration at BUMED from August 2016 to December 2018. During this tour, he served as the Chair of the Navy Medicine Awards Board and the Chair of the Defense Health Agency Partnership Council. His next assignment was to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from August 2018 to February 2022 as Chief of Logistics and the Director for Platform Management, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC). He spearheaded the logistics support for the COVID-19 Pandemic response for WRNMMC and Operation Warp Speed in support of the National Capital Region, including the White House and the Capitol. He also championed WRNMMC in the successful accreditation by The Joint Commission.