Commander's Blog

With Halloween only two days away, spooky decorations are all around to welcome the children who will be out in their colorful costumes, hoping for candy throughout their neighborhoods. But even though the night should be a fun time, we should take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of children and adults alike on Halloween night. The National Safety Council has a number of great recommendations that we all should regard, such as chaperoning young children and planning a safe route through the neighborhood. Travel in well-lit areas, and instruct older children to walk together in a group and ask them to refrain from electronic devices so they can stay alert at all times. As for the motorists, we should all pay close attention to the pedestrians that night who are walking around and crossing streets, and perhaps may not be focused on the cars around them. If we all practice these great suggestions, it will help to make this year's Halloween night a safe and happy time for everyone!

And speaking of "scary" things, I'm sure that for many of us, change may seem scary – but it really shouldn't be. Actually, in most cases, change can be a really good thing. Most of us should be familiar with the recent change in our organization's realignment under the Army Materiel Command. General Perna, the AMC Commanding General, visited the USAMRMC and Fort Detrick just last week, and he clarified some of the details regarding this realignment. Many of us may not see any change in the near term, but the Army and the DOD are shifting priorities to ensure that everyone is poised to support our Warfighters in the best possible manner going forward. This new change also brings with it many potential opportunities where we can continue to excel in what we do. For now, the best thing we can do is to execute our important mission as usual.

Down the road, we may even see another change, as the Headquarters Department of the Army Execute Order suggests that Army Medical Research and Development may eventually fall under the new U.S. Army Futures Command (see HQDA EXORD 3.C.3.A-B), so we should remain ready for this as well. We don't know what the exact timeline for this move may be, but nevertheless, regardless of where we end up falling, our mission to protect, treat and sustain the health of our Service Members must remain our TOP priority! I know that General Perna is pleased to have the USAMRMC as part of his great Army Team, and he is counting on USAMMDA to develop and deliver what our Warfighters need to win.

And speaking of a great team, our USAMMDA staff conducted a Strategic Plan offsite meeting last week, and it was a very successful gathering. We were able to focus our priorities for this new fiscal year, and we're all really looking forward to a fantastic FY 2019! Although we brought so many important issues to the table during the meeting, we know there is always room for more great ideas. Please remember that our leadership team is always open to good suggestions where we can improve, so never hesitate to forward these ideas, comments and questions to your supervisors. We review and consider each and every submission, and you'd be surprised at how many improvements come directly from team members throughout the year.

Let's always remember that we're saving lives with everything we do here at USAMMDA!

COL Ryan Bailey