You’ve likely seen the bullet points: The Coast Guard is adding at least 500 medical professionals, expanding deployable medical and telehealth capabilities, and integrating medical databases. But what do these changes actually mean for the workforce?
MyCG sat down with RADM Paul Jung, the Coast Guard’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), to learn more. Before coming to the service, he worked on getting healthcare to remote communities – both as a medical officer for the Indian Health Service and for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Which makes him a natural fit for our service, where it’s not uncommon to find nine members stationed hours away from the nearest medical provider.
Since RADM Jung assumed the role of CMO in 2024, the Coast Guard has been in a state of constant change – giving him the prime opportunity to transform the service’s medical care system. To understand the full scope of this challenge, check out the Force Design 2028 Plan’s “People” section, which prioritizes improving medical care, expanding capabilities, and supporting Coast Guard members’ health and readiness.
“I’m most excited by the opportunity to re-envision CG medical,” RADM Jung said. “We’re not just adding 500 people so we can do more of the same. We’re adding people to meet the needs of the Coast Guard.”
Future of CG Medical
“There is no magic button for success – if there was, someone would have pushed it by now,” RADM Jung said. “So we need to gradually implement focused, intentional steps to meet the medical needs of the future Coast Guard.”
Here are some of these steps:
- We’re looking to restructure our clinical processes so that Health Services Technicians (HSs) can focus on the duties they were trained for – flu shots, drawing blood, health screenings, medical care duties. Reducing these administrative burdens will improve both the HS’s work experience and the quality of service provided to members.
- We’re seeking legislative changes to authorize the Coast Guard, like the other services, to grant student loan repayment for medical professionals. We offer graduating medical students the opportunity to serve the best military workforce, and we’d like to be able to offer a key financial incentive to match the other branches’ offerings.
- We’re going to provide Coast Guard recruitment opportunities for students and residents in medical and dental programs to expose them to Coast Guard early in their training so that they consider a career in the service during their formative years. We are also developing training programs for behavioral health providers, a critical need for our service members, to bring more of them into the service early in their careers as well.
- We’re going to embrace different avenues to offer operational medicine. We’ll increase telehealth options and expand use of deployable medical teams for care where and when it makes sense. Tailored Readiness Availability Mobile Medical Units (TRAMMUs) are specially outfitted trailers that can roll into your unit and knock out a good chunk of everyone’s medical readiness needs. Flu shots? Check. Hearing tests? Check. Blood draws? Check.
Establishing Maritime Medicine as a standalone service
Another key step is professionalizing the Coast Guard medical corps by focusing on the specialty of Maritime Medicine. We will unite all medical professionals—dentists, physician assistants, medical administrators, HSs, nurse practitioners, and Independent Duty Health Services Technicians (IDHS)—under a common mission and goal. The CMO team is developing a qualification for “Maritime Medicine” which would capture this unified operational doctrine.
Traditionally, there has only been one headquarters organization handling the entire service’s medical needs. But this approach didn’t consider the teams’ two very different roles – medical service delivery versus wellness support services. The Coast Guard recently provided clarity of role and mission by separating this into two directorates: CMO and Workforce and Family Services (WFS).
Now, RADM Jung’s directorate solely focuses on medical services with a focus on operational medicine that ensures members are ready to do their jobs. Meanwhile, a separate directorate – Workforce and Family Services – focuses on wellness; support; SAPRR; integrated primary prevention (IPP); and anti-hate and harassment.
Food as Medicine
As CMO, RADM Jung successfully advocated having program management of the Culinary Services Program within his purview, as "food is medicine." The Culinary Specialists (CSs) are embarking on a pilot program that would develop “food is medicine” skills that could add synergy through programs like the Future Sentinel Preparatory Course. Working alongside fitness experts, CSs can develop tailored meal plans to help Coast Guard applicants meet body composition standards before entering boot camp. Building off this potential, RADM Jung aims to expand CSs capabilities, enabling them to medically tailor meals that promote healthier eating, resilience, and positive habits across the service.
“Our CSs, like our HSs, have more training and capability than we currently enable them to employ,” RADM Jung said. “It’s time to unlock their potential.” Check out the US Coast Guard Culinary Program on Facebook to see just how incredible our CSs are.
The Coast Guard’s commitment to modernizing medical services under Force Design 2028 reflects a broader vision of enhancing readiness, resilience, and care for its workforce. These changes are not just about addressing current needs —they are about building a stronger, healthier Coast Guard for the future. Together, we are charting a course toward a healthier, more capable service, ensuring every member receives the care and support they deserve.
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