Military and civilian hospitals to coordinate emergency medical surge capacity

What it does

This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program that coordinates military and civilian medical resources to respond to national emergencies, wars, public health crises, and disasters. The program will partner the Department of Defense with at least eight civilian hospitals, academic medical centers, and health care organizations across the U.S. to enable rapid mobilization of civilian medical personnel to support military medical facilities and the broader military health system during emergencies.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is establishing a civilian-military medical coordination program for disaster and emergency response. It is a public health and national security measure focused on surge capacity and interagency coordination, not a regulatory change, appropriation, or private benefit.

What the text implies

• The program's scope extends beyond traditional military medical support to include 'other requirements of the military health system,' which could broaden civilian medical obligations to support routine military medical operations if not carefully bounded by HHS oversight.
• Selection of 'not fewer than eight locations' gives DoD discretion to choose partnership sites; criteria include 'strategic and operational relevance,' which may favor locations near military installations over areas of greatest civilian need.
• The bill requires civilian medical personnel to 'quickly and effectively mobilize' during contingency operations and wars, potentially creating implicit expectations of civilian medical surge capacity that may strain civilian health systems during military conflicts.
• Annual reporting requirement to four congressional committees (Armed Services and Health committees in both chambers) creates oversight but also potential for fragmented accountability if committees prioritize different aspects of the program.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The program enhances civilian-military medical coordination and surge capacity during national emergencies, wars, and disasters—situations where civilian medical systems are already strained and military medical expertise can provide critical support. The bill explicitly preserves HHS authority over the National Disaster Medical System and public health response, preventing DoD overreach, and requires annual reporting to Congress, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Who stands to gain

• Academic medical centers and hospitals selected as partnership locations (potential for increased fe
• Health care organizations designated as critical to civilian medical surge (may receive federal reso

Named in the bill

Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Institute for Defense Health Cooperation, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Defense Health Agency, National Disaster Medical System, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Committee on Armed Services (Senate), Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Senate), Committee on Armed Services (House) — and 1 more

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• Dec 9, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 9, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.