USAMMDA team reviews organizational structure, processes; strategic planning meeting paves the way for optimizing support to the Warfighter

Team members with U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA) attended a command strategic planning meeting Oct. 18-19, 2023, in Frederick, Maryland. Their charge? Reviewing the organization’s current structure and processes and making recommendations to help increase efficiency and optimize support to the Warfighter.

USAMMDA leads the Department of Defense’s medical product development through contracting, agreements, and interdisciplinary and integrated product teams managed by several Project Management Offices (PMOs).

As overseers of partner-led development efforts, PMO managers work with product teams to deliver effective, suitable, and affordable medical solutions for America’s Warfighters. This unique organizational structure allows USAMMDA to mitigate risks during product development, while optimizing regulatory and business strategies.

U.S. Army Col. Andy Nuce, USAMMDA commander, opened the two-day session with a set of questions to guide the group’s discussions. Specifically, he asked his team to look at functional support across the organization; identify gaps and redundancies; and recommend which functions should reside within each PMO and which should be matrixed across the organization.

Apart from the day-to-day impact of making these changes, Nuce also reminded the group of the broader context: USAMMDA’s eventual transition to the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

“While some details of that move have yet to be finalized, it is clear that change is a constant,” said Nuce. “Today’s discussions will shape the way we respond to the challenges of the future.”

The meeting also offered the opportunity for updates on USAMMDA’s five Lines of Effort (LOEs), which were developed during previous strategic planning sessions, according to U.S. Army Master Sergeant Hunter Black, Senior Enlisted Advisor. The LOEs are People; Strategic Communication; DHA Integration; Data Management; and Fiscal Responsibility.

USAMMDA, the DoD’s premier developer of world-class military medical capabilities, develops, delivers, and fields critical drugs, vaccines, biologics, devices, and medical support equipment to protect and preserve the lives of Warfighters across the globe.