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Military Health System

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Defense Health Agency

DHA Seal NewThe Defense Health Agency is a joint, integrated Combat Support Agency that enables the Army, Navy, and Air Force medical services to provide a medically ready force and ready medical force to Combatant Commands in both peacetime and wartime. The DHA uses the principles of Ready Reliable Care to advance high reliability practices across the Military Health System by improving our system operations, driving innovative solutions, and cultivating a culture of safety. 

Our Mission & Vision

Mission

The Defense Health Agency supports our Nation by improving health and building readiness -- making extraordinary experiences ordinary and exceptional outcomes routine.

Vision

Unrelenting pursuit of excellence as we care for our joint force and those we are privileged to serve. Anytime, Anywhere—Always.

What We Do

The DHA’s global workforce of almost 130,000 civilians and military personnel is committed to medical excellence, health care improvement and ensuring military personnel are ready to perform combat operations and humanitarian missions at home and abroad.

At-a-Glance, the DHA:

  • Manages authority, direction, and control of military hospitals and clinics worldwide with an operating budget of approximately $16.9 billion in FY23. | See Current Stats
  • Delivers agile and scalable combat support capabilities to the Combatant Commanders and Joint Force, while providing comprehensive care and military health benefit entitlements to eligible beneficiaries.
  • Manages the execution of the Unified Medical Budget. The UMB for FY23 is $55.8 billion, or approximately 7.2% of the overall DOD $773 billion budget.
  • Manages the DOD health plan, TRICARE, totaling another $18.5 billion.
  • Manages an $11 billion-a-year medical supply chain that supplies close to 560,000 medical devices to the Joint Force.

Visit the History of the DHA Timeline to learn more about the Defense Health Agency.

Our Priorities

  1. Enabling Combat Support to the Joint Force in Competition, Crisis, or Conflict
  2. Building a Modernized, Integrated, and Resilient Health Delivery System
  3. Dedicated and Inspired Teams of Professionals Driving Military Health's Next Evolution

Enterprise Support Activities

DHA supports the Military Departments and the Combatant Commands through the provision of enterprise support activities, providing medical capabilities across the Joint Force. Those activities include:

Last Updated: August 21, 2024
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