How Physician Shortages Are Undermining Military Readiness

Photo by: Filip Andrejevic

Military readiness is often discussed in terms of troop levels, weapons systems, and training capacity. Less visible, but equally critical, is the role of military medicine. Physicians determine whether service members are fit to train, deploy, and remain on duty. Persistent shortages of military doctors are increasingly affecting readiness across the force.

The Department of Defense has long faced challenges recruiting and retaining physicians, particularly in certain specialties. Primary care, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and surgical fields are among the areas where staffing gaps are most frequently reported. While these shortages reflect broader trends in the U.S. healthcare system, the demands of military service can make the problem more difficult to address.

Physicians in uniform often earn less than their civilian counterparts and must navigate frequent relocations, administrative requirements, and the possibility of deployment. For many, these factors complicate long-term career planning, even among those motivated by a strong commitment to serve.

When physician positions remain unfilled, the effects extend beyond individual clinics. Limited staffing can delay evaluations, treatment, and medical clearance decisions. Service members may wait longer for routine care or specialty referrals, while commanders face uncertainty about the medical readiness of their units. Over time, these delays can reduce the number of personnel available for training or deployment.

Behavioral health care presents particular challenges. Mental health services are essential to sustaining readiness, especially given the cumulative stresses associated with military service. Yet behavioral health providers remain among the most difficult positions to staff consistently. Limited access to care can affect individual well-being and increase the likelihood that service members are placed in temporary or permanent non-deployable status.

Physician shortages can also affect operational communities that depend on regular medical certification. Medical officers are responsible for confirming that personnel meet the physical standards required for specific duties. When evaluations are delayed, training schedules and operational timelines may be disrupted.

To compensate for staffing gaps, the military increasingly relies on civilian providers and external healthcare networks. These arrangements can expand access in some cases, but they also introduce challenges related to continuity of care and familiarity with military-specific requirements. Reliance on outside systems may also reduce commanders’ visibility into the medical status of their forces.

As physician shortages persist across the military health system, the services have also restructured portions of their medical infrastructure. In some cases, hospitals have been closed or downgraded to clinic status, and care delivery models have shifted toward greater reliance on nurses, physician assistants, and medical technicians serving as physician extenders. While these approaches are intended to preserve access to care amid staffing constraints, they have raised questions about capacity, oversight, and long-term readiness.

Amid these pressures, calls to rethink how care is delivered are coming from both within and outside the government. Some private-sector leaders who work closely with defense and veterans’ health systems argue that existing models are not keeping pace with the needs of service members or veterans. Figures such as Joanne M. Frederick, CEO of Government Marketing Strategies, have pointed to the need for more coordinated and adaptive approaches to medical support across military and veterans’ care environments. These views reflect a broader debate about how to align medical capacity with readiness and long-term health outcomes.

Physician shortages also influence recruitment and retention beyond the medical corps itself. Access to timely and reliable healthcare is a factor for service members and their families when deciding whether to remain in uniform. Perceived limitations in care can affect morale and confidence in the institution.

Addressing these challenges will require sustained attention and structural solutions. Policy discussions have included expanding scholarship and loan repayment programs, increasing flexibility in medical career paths, and strengthening partnerships with civilian and academic medical institutions. Any long-term approach will need to balance operational requirements with the realities of the modern medical workforce.

Physician shortages are not solely a healthcare concern. They shape training pipelines, deployment timelines, and overall military readiness. Continued evaluation of staffing models, infrastructure decisions, and care delivery systems will be necessary to ensure that military medicine can meet the demands placed upon it. Without sustained focus, physician shortages will continue to constrain readiness in ways that are difficult to reverse.