Commander's Blog

I'd like to start by welcoming our new team members who are joining us from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency. With around 66 new professionals coming on board – including military, federal civilian and contract personnel – we're very excited about the great products and projects they bring with them. Our mission is certainly expanding with the pending reorganization under the Army Futures Command, and we're looking forward to all of the wonderful new opportunities that lie ahead for us.

We would also like to welcome the Project Manager for Deployed Medical Systems, Dr. Tyler Bennett, who will oversee two incoming product management offices: Medical Devices and Assemblage Management, and Medical Modernization. The addition of these new team members will help to strengthen our USAMMDA workforce, and directly impact our mission to help protect, treat and sustain the health of our Service Members throughout the world. Again, we're really looking forward to the many new opportunities that may be presented to deliver effective medical solutions to the Warfighter.

It's hard to believe, but we're already into March, which is recognized as Women's History Month throughout the nation. USAMMDA is very proud to host the Installation event on March 20 in the Fort Detrick auditorium (Bldg. 1520) to celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout history. The key speaker scheduled for this gathering will be Ms. Karen Britton, who is the former White House chief information officer and special assistant to President Barrack Obama. Ms. Britton currently serves as the Vice President of Digital Services for LMI, and I'm sure she will provide some interesting information on the important roles that women play throughout the government and private sector, as well as within our military. In fact, here at USAMMDA, we have many key women leaders who help to guide our organization on a daily basis. Their successful work ethic and tremendous knowledge base certainly strengthen the USAMMDA mission in support of our military forces. I'm very proud to work with these successful women, and I know we could not accomplish our goals without their input and assistance.

March is also National Nutrition Month, and I hope everyone is keeping up with those New Year's resolutions that involve health and fitness. This may be difficult to do at times, but it's very important in the long run. The Army continues its support of the Performance Triad of proper sleep, exercise and nutrition, and there is much data that shows the great benefits of maintaining these three pillars daily. Doing so really helps to optimize performance, resilience and readiness, which is critical to carrying out our USAMMDA mission each and every day.

Well, we're not out of the woods when it comes to the winter season, and it may not let up until April! Please continue to regard our winter safety tips, and make sure to report any hazards you notice in and around our building. We all must serve as safety monitors, and watch out for each other always. Also, we had our Safety Inspection last week, and I will share the results with you as soon as I receive them.

Finally, for basketball fans, March Madness will soon be underway, and this is always an exciting time of the year in college sports! Many of us enjoy filling out tournament brackets – only for fun – to see if we can predict the Final Four teams. I am always hoping my teams pan out, although they usually never do. I guess this is why I never wager any money on my choices, which is certainly a good thing!

Always remember that we're saving lives with everything we do here at USAMMDA!

COL Ryan Bailey