National Military Civilian Medical Surge Program Act of 2025
- Sponsor
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
- Committees
- Armed Services Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Dec 9, 2025
Bottom line
This bill mandates the creation of a joint military-civilian medical surge program to improve national medical response capabilities during emergencies and wartime contingencies through strategic partnerships and coordinated training.
What it actually does
This bill directs the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to establish the Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program. The program aims to enhance the interoperability and medical surge capabilities of the National Disaster Medical System by forming partnerships with civilian healthcare organizations at strategically selected aeromedical or transport hubs. It outlines the program's oversight, administration, and the conditions under which civilian medical personnel can be mobilized to support military medical facilities during various national emergencies or contingencies.
Proponents argue
Supporters would argue this bill strengthens national security and public health preparedness by formalizing and expanding military-civilian medical collaboration, ensuring a robust response to catastrophic events and wartime needs. It leverages existing military medical expertise and civilian infrastructure to create a more resilient national medical system, capable of rapidly deploying medical support where and when it is most needed.
Opponents contend
Potential opponents might raise concerns about the cost of establishing and maintaining such a new program, particularly without explicit funding mechanisms detailed in the bill. They might also question potential duplication of existing efforts within HHS or FEMA, or the blurring of lines between military and civilian roles in domestic emergencies, which could lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies or jurisdictional disputes.
The bill is concise and can be read quickly, allowing ample time for a thorough evaluation of its implications.
Section 2, amending 10 U.S.C. 1096(e)(1)
Establish Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program
This provision directs the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to create a program known as the Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program. Its primary goals are to support selected locations and enhance the National Disaster Medical System's interoperability and medical surge capacity during various emergencies, including national emergencies, public health emergencies, declarations of war, or contingency operations.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this formalizes a critical capability, ensuring a coordinated and robust medical response across military and civilian sectors during major crises, thereby improving national resilience and readiness.
Critics contend
Critics might argue that existing frameworks within HHS or FEMA could be expanded, and creating a new DoD-led program might introduce bureaucratic redundancies or complicate command structures during emergencies.
Tradeoffs
This provision balances the need for military medical readiness with civilian disaster response, aiming to streamline efforts but requiring significant interagency coordination to be effective.
Section 2, amending 10 U.S.C. 1096(e)(2)
Program Oversight and Administration
The bill assigns oversight of the program's management, staffing, and deployment to the Institute for Defense Health Cooperation at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. This oversight requires coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of the Defense Health Agency, and HHS. It also specifies that during contingency operations, the program will support the relevant combatant command through the Defense Health Agency, and mandates semiannual and quarterly coordination meetings with key military and health agencies.
Section 2, amending 10 U.S.C. 1096(e)(3)
Civilian Partnerships and Strategic Locations
This section requires the Secretary of Defense to establish partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit healthcare organizations, institutions, academic medical centers, and hospitals. These partners must be critical for civilian medical response in wartime or catastrophic events and demonstrate proficiency in areas like high-consequence infectious diseases. The Secretary must select at least eight operationally relevant locations in the U.S. that are aeromedical or transport hubs, with the option to select more, including outside the continental U.S.
Section 2, amending 10 U.S.C. 1096(e)(4)
Civilian Personnel Mobilization and Response Conditions
This provision ensures that partnerships established under the program allow civilian medical personnel to quickly mobilize direct support to military medical treatment facilities and the military health system. This mobilization can be triggered by various declarations, including a national emergency, a public health emergency, a declaration of war, a contingency operation, the President's exercise of War Powers Resolution authority, or any other Presidential declaration of emergency or major disaster.
Section 2, amending 10 U.S.C. 1096(e)(5)
Annual Program Status Reports
The bill mandates that the Secretary of Defense submit an annual report, starting 180 days after the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, to relevant committees in both the Senate (Armed Services; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) and the House (Armed Services; Energy and Commerce). These reports must detail the program's status, readiness, operational capabilities, personnel readiness, resource availability, interagency coordination, and recommendations for improvement.
This provision explicitly states that the new Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program does not grant the Secretary of Defense authority to control, direct, limit, or otherwise affect the Secretary of Health and Human Services' powers regarding the leadership and administration of the National Disaster Medical System, public health preparedness, staffing levels, or resource allocation.
Section 2, amending 10 U.S.C. 1096(e)(6)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice to include clarifying language regarding interagency jurisdiction to prevent future conflicts and ensure existing authorities are not inadvertently undermined. It is not necessarily evasive but ensures legal clarity and operational boundaries.
Case for: Supporters argue this provision is essential for interagency harmony, preventing turf wars, and ensuring that the expertise and established leadership of HHS in civilian public health emergencies remain intact while DoD provides support.
Case against: No specific case against this clarifying language is typically raised, as it aims to prevent negative outcomes. Some might argue it highlights the potential for jurisdictional overlap that the bill doesn't fully resolve, but the language itself is generally seen as beneficial for clear governance.
Estimated impact: Prevents potential legal and operational conflicts between DoD and HHS regarding leadership in national disaster medical response, ensuring clearer roles and responsibilities.