The Air Force Medical Service joins the U.S. Space Force in celebrating its fifth anniversary, Dec. 20, 2024, commemorating the creation of a military branch dedicated to the pursuit of space superiority.
When the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 was signed into law, it created the first new branch of the armed services in 73 years. The NDAA aligned the Space Force under the Department of Air Force and tasked the AFMS support Guardian medical readiness.
While the AFMS has supported the USSF since its inception, the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General, who is the senior medical advisor to the Chief of Space Operations, established the Space Force Medical Operations Directorate March 19, 2023. The directorate consists of a Total Force Headquarters team with a mix of active duty, Air National Guard, Reserve, and civilian personnel located in the National Capitol Region and Colorado.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Sean T. Collins, Air Force Medical Command Commander, who concurrently serves as the HAF/SG SF director and the ANG Assistant to the Surgeon General, shared his insights on its increased capabilities.
“The directorate’s Total Force team has exceeded all expectations in 2024,” he said. “They have leveraged relationships across the whole of government, industry and academia, enabling USSF mission superiority, human systems integration, and human performance optimization of our Guardian warfighters.”
U.S. Space Force Medical Operations Directorate at a glance
Recently renamed the Space Force Directorate, the AF/SG SF provides advice on and implements medical operational support strategy for the Air Force and Space Force surgeon general and CSO, supporting the USSF mission in, from, and to the space domain, enabling force presentation and capabilities for joint combatant commanders. The directorate collaborates with the Surgeon General Medical Operations Directorate and other components of AFMS to ensure Guardians are supported.
The medical team generates force readiness, creates policy and programs supporting the USSF human system in line with the AF/SG SF’s portfolio and medical efforts to support the DAF as it reoptimizes for Great Power Competition. The directorate’s leadership includes a medical operations and standards division chief, support division chief, and the USSF Director of Psychological Health.
Brig. Gen. Alfred Flowers, Jr., Chief of Staff, Defense Health Agency, and Chief, Medical Service Corps, who served as command surgeon for Space Operations Command from July 2020 to July 2021, commended the directorate’s endeavors throughout its first year supporting Guardians.
“The Space Force Directorate has done a remarkable job integrating and synchronizing efforts when they matter most,” Flowers, Jr. said. “Space superiority remains at the top of the list for Great Power Competition and the relevance of Space Operations is understated. Every Guardian and mission matters and we will ensure they are ready.”
Future direction in the medical space frontier
The AF/SG SF Directorate is actively building the next generation of aerospace medicine experts, innovating human performance readiness solutions for scenarios that push the limits of imagination.
In August 2024, the directorate staff held a successful two-day strategic planning session at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, to focus on the next steps enabling the directorate’s mission and vision. During the session, they mapped the way forward to operationalize its strategy and to develop people, capabilities, readiness, and power projection.
From Dec. 3 to Dec. 6, USSF and AF/SG SF representatives participated in the 2024 AFMS Senior Leader Workshop, updating medical leaders on Space Force activities and medical advancements supporting space operations.
“The Space Force is its own service with their own mantra, core values, and creed,” Col. Lidia Ilcus, Deputy Director of the AF/SG’s Space Force Directorate and Chief of Aerospace Medicine Operations and Policy, said at the workshop.
“We need to understand that they are warfighters 24/7,” she said. “We are working to develop policies, partnerships, and talent management strategies to support the unique medical and operational needs of the Space Force.”
Today, Guardians are called to protect and defend national interests, standing ready, every day, always above. The Air Force Medical Service will deliver ready Medics and medically ready Airmen and Guardians, anytime … anywhere.
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2024 14:45 |
| Story ID: | 488067 |
| Location: | FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
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