Feb. 13, 2026 | By Rick McNamara, Defense Health Network National Capital Region
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center announced the signing of a historic partnership with Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. This first-of-its-kind strategic alliance within the Military Health System will provide Walter Reed’s clinical staff with greater exposure to complex medical cases, directly enhancing the readiness of America's military medical force.
The partnership is the result of a competitive "Call for Solutions" issued by the Defense Health Agency in September 2025, from which Kaiser Permanente was selected from a field of 30 applicants to develop a prototype collaboration aimed at building military medical readiness.
Under the initial phase of the agreement, Walter Reed’s world-class physicians and clinical staff will provide complex neurosurgical care to Kaiser Permanente members at the military medical center in Bethesda. This initiative provides military medical professionals, from junior enlisted technicians to senior physicians, with invaluable experience, ensuring their skills are honed to care for service members on the battlefield and in humanitarian missions around the globe.
“This partnership is fundamentally about readiness,” said U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Melissa Austin, the Director of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “To ensure our military medical teams are prepared for any contingency, we must provide them with consistent opportunities to manage complex, high-acuity patients. This collaboration with Kaiser Permanente allows us to do just that, leveraging the strengths of both systems to ensure our force is ready for its global mission while providing outstanding care to our community partners.”
The agreement marks a new chapter in military-civilian health care collaboration. The initial rollout will focus on neurosurgery, a mutually beneficial service line that addresses a need in the region for Kaiser Permanente while tapping unused capacity at Walter Reed to deliver valuable cases that train the entire healthcare team.
The framework of the partnership allows for future expansion into other high-value service lines, including cardiothoracic surgery, interventional cardiology, and potentially transplant surgery. This growth is contingent upon subsequent agreements that will establish the framework for deeper integration between the two health care systems.
This strategic initiative solidifies Walter Reed’s role as the premier readiness and training platform for the Military Health System, pioneering a new model for how military and civilian health care can work together to strengthen the nation’s health.