The Defense Department has sent Congress an action plan to address the shortfalls in mental health care identified in June by the DOD Task Force on Mental Health, a Congressionally chartered group. The task force made 95 recommendations, including a need for a culture change to remove the stigma associated with seeking mental health care. The 37-page action plan states that “DOD has embraced the vision and the spirit embodied in the recommendations.” The plan notes that the Pentagon and individual services actually began steps to “create a culture that develops and supports a state of robust psychological health” immediately after the task force released its report.
The Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy late Jan. 23, emphasizing a new commitment to the Western Hemisphere. But while that focus garnered most of the headlines, the strategy’s subtle shifts on China raise questions about how the Trump administration aims to leverage U.S. military power in the Indo-Pacific.
