Aug. 05, 2025 | By T. T. Parish, Operational Medical Systems
The Operational Medical Systems Program Management Office’s Force Health Protection team is taking part in the Military Health System Research Symposium this week in Kissimmee, Florida.
The four-day symposium is a premier opportunity for OPMED, part of the Defense Health Agency, to showcase its current capabilities for a wide array of defense, development industry, and academic stakeholders.
FHP plays a critical role in bridging medical gaps by providing investigational medical products, which are authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, to the joint force when no FDA-approved solution is available or feasible to meet operational requirements. FHP works with combatant commands and regulatory experts across the globe to make lifesaving treatments available to warfighters when there is an urgent need.
MHSRS, which provides a venue for presenting new scientific knowledge resulting from military-unique research and development, gives FHP a chance to highlight the vital role it plays in support of operational medical units and combatant commands around the world, according to U.S. Army Col. Chuck Bane, director of FHP.
The team’s focus aligns with the broader DOD and DHA imperatives to provide real-time solutions for combatant commanders to address capability gaps in support of warfighters in remote, austere environments.
“The FHP mission is unique within the DOD, and we are the focal point of mission-enabling activity to rapidly fill urgent capability gaps in time-compressed operational environments,” said Bane, an Army veterinarian by trade. “We partner with stakeholders across the DOD and government to provide alternative solutions in extraordinary circumstances so combatant commanders can focus on their mission while having the confidence that medical countermeasures are safe, timely, and suited to the operating environment to enhance mission readiness and increase warfighter lethality.”
To learn more about FHP and to reach their team, visit https://dha.mil/opmed-fhp.
About OPMED
OPMED is the DOD’s leading force in medical development and acquisition, focused on enhancing warfighter lethality and readiness. Project managers with the team develop and deliver next-generation, world-class medical capabilities that empower combatant commanders for Large-Scale Combat Operations, particularly within austere environments, with a twofold mission: save lives on the battlefield and swiftly return injured service members to duty.
