In January, The Center for Strategic & International Studies, CSIS, interviewed S. Ward Casscells, The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on their global health interview series. The audio of the short (less than five minute) interview is available here. This evening, I transcribed the interview for my own notes. Feel free to read my unofficial transcript below or listen to the entire interview on the CSIS website. Also, be sure to check out the great interviews by CSIS.
Narrator: This is the CSIS Global Health Policy Center Podcast
Interviewer: Today we are joined by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, S. Ward Casscells. Dr. Casscells is going to speak about the increasing role of the US military in global health. Dr. Casscells, what are the three goals of the military health system and what areas of global health does the US military work in?
Casscells: Military health systems exists primarily to take care of our servicemen, their families, and our retirees. But secondarily, we assist the overall mission of the defense department by building capacity, health capabilities in countries that are critical to what we’re doing. Lastly, we try to do whatever good we can for global health in passing since we’re stationed in over 100 countries around the world.
I: And how is health related to stability and security?
C: Well, generally health is a product of stability and prosperity. So, when people are safe and get access to health care, when they have electricity, roads, clean water, safe sewerage systems and the like, then they’re more likely to be healthy. They tend to have better food because they are more prosperous and so forth. But it also works the other way around, that when people are healthier, they are happier, they are more trusting of their government if they’ve gotten health benefits from their government. They plan for the future if people have some confidence that they and their children have a reasonable life expectancy, they make the kind of long term decisions, investing in education, investing in partnerships, learning a topic or trade that they wouldn’t do otherwise. So health contributes to prosperity and peace as a virtuous cycle. prosperity and peace contribute to health’s work.
I: And what global programs do the US military engage in? You’ve talked a bit about military capacity building, pandemic flu. … Can you give us a quick overview of the different areas you work in?
C: Well, this past few years, combat casualty care has been critical. Preventive medicine, getting people vaccinated, boosting their nutrition, of soldiers, marines, and sailors. In teaching the kinds of things that can prevent accidents and prevent disease, these have been critical to what we’re doing. We’re challenged now by combat stress. PTSD has been a huge issue for us. And hidden …. But beyond the injuries and diseases that affect our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, we have the hosts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sovereign countries, with their invitation, it is our obligation to try to help them develop their health care facilities and their health care know-how so they can care for their own and so we can wind down there. Particularly in Afghanistan, where things have gotten more dangerous. And the hope is that being a provider of health to a village or helping them take care of themselves even better will be a way to get that village unified against terrorism so they are not intimidated or beguiled, so they have some faith in their own government, their own future.
N: This has been a CSIS Global Health Policy Center Podcast.
Christopher Albon is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.
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