The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) is an agency of the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenr ...

that manages health care activities for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. BUMED operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities as well as laboratories for

biomedical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

, and trains and manages the Navy's many staff corps related to medicine. Its headquarters is located at the Defense Health Headquarters in

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

. BUMED has 41,930 medical personnel and more than a million eligible beneficiaries.

History

BUMED was one of the original five Navy bureaus formed in 1842 to replace the

Board of Navy Commissioners The Board of Navy Commissioners was a United States Navy administrative body in existence from 1815 to 1842, with responsibility for the navy's material support. The three-member Board was created as part of an expansion of the U.S. Navy Departm ...

. It is one of two bureaus still in existence. BUMED was headquartered at the Old Naval Observatory from 1942 until 2012. In 2005, Navy Medicine aligned its shore facilities into four overarching commands: Navy Medicine East, Navy Medicine West, Navy Medicine National Capital Area, and Navy Medicine Support Command. In 2012, Navy Medicine Support Command was renamed and realigned into the Navy Medicine Education and Training Command, with its non-training units becoming independent under BUMED. Navy Medicine National Capital Area's largest component, the National Naval Medical Center in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, was merged in 2011 with

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

to form the joint Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The merged facility came under the jurisdiction of the new Joint Task Force National Capital Region/Medical, and in 2013, Navy Medicine National Capital Area was disestablished, with its few remaining facilities transferred to Navy Medicine East. While a 2006 report of the

Defense Business Board The Defense Business Board in the United states was established in 2001 as a complement to broader transformation efforts in the Department of Defense to move from an overly burdensome bureaucracy to a more streamlined, effective organization. ...

recommended that the Army, Navy, and Air Force medical commands be merged into a single joint command, citing savings in budget and personnel, this recommendation was not carried out and in 2012 the

Defense Health Agency The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is a joint, integrated combat support agency that enables the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force medical services to provide a medically ready force and ready medical force to Combatant Commands in both pea ...

(DHA) was established separately from the military medical commands. All three military medical commands were, however, all moved to share the new Defense Health Headquarters facility in Falls Church with DHA, again as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure.

Organization

Departments

The commanding officer of BUMED is the Surgeon General of the United States Navy, a

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

. BUMED is divided into ten departments, each referred to with an alphanumerical code. Each of the staff corps is headed by a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

, except for the Hospital Corps, which is headed by a force master chief petty officer because of its status as an enlisted rating. The other department heads are mostly either rear admirals or civilians. * M00: Corps Chiefs ** M00C1: Chief,

Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or staff corps, officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are exam ...

** M00C2: Chief, United States Navy Dental Corps Dental Corps ** M00C3: Chief, Nurse Corps ** M00C4: Director, Medical Service Corps ** M00C5: Director, Hospital Corps ** M00C6: Director, Civilian Corps * Deputy Chief, Total Force (DCTF) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Manpower and Resources (M1) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Education and Training (M7) * Deputy Chief, Business Operations (DCBO) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Fleet Support & Logistics (M4) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Information Management & Technology (M6) * Deputy Chief, Resource Management/Comptroller (DCRM/C) ** Deputy Director, Financial Management (M8) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Capabilities Requirements (M9) * Deputy Chief, Operations, Plans & Readiness (OP&R) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Research and Development (M2) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Health Care Operations (M3) ** Assistant Deputy Chief, Patient Safety, Clinical Quality & High Reliability/Office of the Chief Medical Officer (M5)

Subordinate commands

BUMED operates the following facilities and commands: *Bureau of Medicine and Surgery,

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church City is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is ...

Naval Medical Forces Atlantic: * Naval Medical Forces Atlantic,

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

** Naval Medical Center Portsmouth,

** Naval Hospital Beaufort,

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, South Carolina ...

** Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune,

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** Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, Guantanamo, Cuba ** Naval Hospital Jacksonville,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

** Naval Hospital Naples, Naples, Italy ** Naval Hospital Pensacola,

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

** Naval Hospital Rota, Rota, Cádiz,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

** Naval Hospital Sigonella, Sigonella, Italy ** Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Great Lakes, Illinois ** Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, (previously Naval Hospital Annapolis)

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

** Naval Health Clinic Charleston,

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is a city in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. As ...

** Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point, Cherry Point, North Carolina ** Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

** Naval Health Clinic New England,

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

** Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Patuxent River, Maryland ** Naval Health Clinic Quantico,

Quantico, Virginia Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

** 2nd Dental Battalion,

Naval Medical Forces Pacific: * Naval Medical Forces Pacific,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

Naval Medical Center San Diego Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) is a United States Navy hospital in San Diego, California. It is also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", and "The Pink Palace", due to the stucco of the first ...

** Naval Hospital Bremerton,

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...

** Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton,

Camp Pendleton, California Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast of the United States, West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Di ...

** Naval Hospital Lemoore, Lemoore, California ** Naval Hospital Oak Harbor, Oak Harbor, Washington ** Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms,

Twentynine Palms, California Twentynine Palms (also known as 29 Palms) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It serves as one of the entry points to Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave Desert region. History Native Americans, such as the S ...

** Naval Hospital Guam, Agana Heights, Guam ** Naval Hospital Okinawa,

Okinawa, Japan is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west ...

** Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan, Yokosuka, Japan ** Naval Health Clinic Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii ** 1st Dental Battalion,

** 3rd Dental Battalion,

Naval Medical Forces Support Command: * Naval Medical Forces Support Command,

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

** Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,

** Navy Medicine Operational Training Command,

** Navy Medicine Training Support Command,

** Naval Medical Leader and Professional Development Command,

Other commands: * Naval Medical Research Command,

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

** Naval Health Research Center,

** Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory,

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

** Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton,

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

** Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio,

** Naval Medical Research Unit 2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia ** Naval Medical Research Unit 3,

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

** Naval Medical Research Center Asia,

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

** Naval Medical Research Unit 6,

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

* Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command,

* Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland ** Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity,

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a town in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while ...

* Navy Medicine Information Systems Support Activity,

* Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center,

** Navy Drug Screening Lab Jacksonville,

Hospital ships: While the Medical Treatment Facility on each hospital ship is operated by BUMED's medical personnel, the ships themselves are operated by civilian mariners employed by

Military Sealift Command The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all U ...

. * USNS Mercy (T-AH-19),

* USNS Comfort (T-AH-20),

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

References

External links