Mattis, South Korean Counterpart Discuss Alliance Issues

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2018 — Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo spoke on the phone today to discuss a range of matters pertaining to the U.S.-South Korean alliance, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said.

In a statement summarizing the call, White said Mattis and Song “recognized the dangers of North Korea’s reckless and unlawful behavior, which goes against the strong consensus of the international community, as reflected in multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

Reaffirming U.S. Commitment

The two leaders affirmed the strength of their nations’ alliance, and Mattis reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea using the full spectrum of U.S. capabilities, White said.

Mattis and Song discussed the importance of strong international support for diplomatic actions to resolve the North Korean threat, White added, and noted the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of Sending States scheduled for Jan. 15-16 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Survey Indicates Higher Satisfaction With Military Medical Facilities

By David Vergun Army News Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2018 — Results of the Defense Department’s Joint Outpatient Experience Survey, or JOES, are in for 2017, and soldiers, retirees and family members reported very high overall satisfaction -- 93 percent -- with their experience at Army medical treatment facilities, the senior health policy analyst with the Office of the Army Surgeon General said.

Staff at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., treat patients. The 2017 results of the Defense Department’s Joint Outpatient Experience Survey show an increase in patient satisfaction with military medical facilities and pharmacy care.

Melissa Gliner said the other two big metrics are ease of access to Army providers, which was rated 83 percent positive, the highest in the military health services, and overall experience with Army pharmacies, which was rated 78 percent positive.

The results of the survey show an overall increase in satisfaction of about 2 percent for those three questions compared to 2016, the year the Army first participated in the survey, she said.

Strict Confidentiality

About 2.7 million surveys go out annually to about 10 percent of patients who have visited a military health facility in a random selection process, she said. At first, only paper surveys were distributed, but since last month, a website has been set up for taking the two-page survey.

Strict confidentiality is maintained at all times, she added.

Gliner, a statistician by training, said she interprets the results and shares them with representatives from all of the military health facilities regularly. The facilities’ staffs are eager to learn the survey results and understand what's working and what can be improved, she said.

One incentive for getting high survey scores is a monetary award that's given to the best-performing military health facilities, Gliner noted, adding that performance reviews are tied to the results.

Improving the Patient Experience

Besides sharing the results with the facilities, Gliner said, she also offers advice on ways to improve the patient experience. For instance, she said, she looks at civilian treatment facilities to see what works well and then shares that information. Among these insights is having staff members circulate in the waiting area to chat with patients so they don't feel they're being ignored, which Gliner said is one way to elevate scores.

Another finding from the survey was that some patients experience frustration during their initial call to schedule an appointment, with some being told to call back because there were no appointments. Some military health facilities are now retraining clerks who take the calls to get the appointments set up without the patient having to call back, she said.

Gliner said the U.S. Army Medical Command is working to stand up a website that will better help military health facilities to share their ideas and further elevate patient experience and survey scores.

Mattis Welcomes Esper as Army Secretary During Ceremonial Swearing-In

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2018 — During a ceremonial welcome for Army Secretary Mark T. Esper at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes today, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said the U.S. Military Academy graduate is the best person to lead the service forward.

Esper, who has been on the job since Nov. 20, also had a ceremonial welcome today at nearby Fort Myer.

Mattis joked during the Pentagon welcome, telling Esper’s wife, Leah, that the job entails a cut in pay, long hours and no holidays.

Esper graduated from West Point in 1986 and served with the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm, where he earned the Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

He transferred to the reserve components, and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He earned advanced degrees from Harvard University and the George Washington University, and he served with the Heritage Foundation, in the Defense Department, at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, at the House Armed Services Committee, and, since 2010, was a senior executive of the Raytheon Co.

Making U.S. Military More Lethal, Capable

The Army secretary’s experiences will benefit the service, Mattis said. “What we are out to do right now is make the U.S. military more lethal and more capable,” he added.

Still, Mattis said, civilian leaders are not chosen for their past performance. “That is all prelude,” he explained. “What we have here is someone we are confident can take the Army forward, that has the right value system [and] understands if something is not contributing to lethality, it is going into the dustbin of history … very, very quickly.”

Mattis stressed that the defense of the United States, the defense and protection of its citizens and the values they hold dear is a nonpartisan issue. “The bottom line is the virtuous and vile alike have written history, but let’s remember here today that we’re the good guys … and this is the man who can take us forward,” the defense secretary said.

Esper told Mattis that the Army leadership is on the same wavelength as he is and understands what he wants the Army to do. “We all understand the rigors of wartime, we understand the importance of training and being prepared for combat, and we are all prepared to make sure that our country, our Army, is ready should we be called upon again,” he said.

Leading the Army “is a homecoming for me,” Esper said, adding that he can think of no greater honor than holding the job.

Top Priorities

But there are challenges, he said, and he promised to face them. Readiness is an issue, and he said that is first and foremost in his mind: “being prepared to fight that hard, long, high-intensity fight.”

Following that, he said, he will concentrate on building the capacity and capabilities the Army needs to maintain its leading role in the future.

The Army secretary said his third priority is reform and freeing up the time, money and manpower to concentrate on the top two priorities.

Overarching these priorities is “taking care of our soldiers, our civilians and their families, because they are the backbone of our service,” and living by the Army values, Esper said.

“I have become convinced over time that a rededication to those values – treating everyone with dignity and respect and doing the right thing – serves the Army, the military and the country well in the long run,” he added.