Public Health Command-Pacific > Services

Mission
Our Area of Responsibility
Veterinary Public Health
Special Mission Support
About U.S. Army Veterinary Corps

Mission Statement:

Provide level four veterinary service support essential for force health protection and to project and sustain a healthy and medically protected force. Ensure Public Health Command-Pacific Activities are trained and ready to perform veterinary services missions in support of contingency and stabilization operations. Promote the health and wellbeing of military Families through: food protection; veterinary medical care; and veterinary public health.

Mission Overview:

Veterinary Services (VS) nests within the One Health umbrella, providing support to environmental, animal, and human health through food safety, food defense, zoonotic disease surveillance, animal health services, and much more. VS food protection mission includes support to ships and submarines, commercial sanitary audits, monthly inspections of retail facilities, and food and water risk assessments. The VS animal health mission centers on the 30 veterinary treatment facilities providing care to over 420 military working dogs, other government owned animals, and pets of beneficiaries. VS provides a critical capability for maximizing readiness through One Health in support of U.S. Army, Navy and Marine, and Air Force missions.

Veterinary Services Priorities:

•Ensure Readiness of military working dogs and PHC-P personnel
•Support Comprehensive Public Health by proving technical oversight to PHC-P Animal Health, Food Defense, Food Protection and Veterinary Public Health missions
•Develop Soldiers, Civilian, Leaders and Teams through fostering professional technical development in the areas of animal health, food safety, food defense, public health and Global Health Engagement

Veterinary Public Health

We are currently working to update this information. Stay tuned!

Veterinary Services Special Mission Support

Global Health Engagements (GHEs): VS personnel provide support to GHEs, which use the full spectrum of health capabilities in military-to-military, military-to-civilian or multilateral activities as a tool to help the DoD and Partner Nation Agencies build trust and confidence, share information, coordinate activities, maintain influence and achieve interoperability
Food and water risk assessments: FWRAs are designed to identify foodborne and waterborne hazards and facilitate the communication of associated health risks to U.S. Forces during missions where approved sources of food and water may not exist. The intent of an FWRA is to evaluate and communicate notable public health risks for troop feeding, so U.S. Forces can prioritize health risk mitigation efforts.
Support to other agencies: VS provides food protection and animal health support to all of the DoD, as well as various US Federal Government agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Science Foundation, Customs and Border Patrol Agency, and many more

About U.S. Army Veterinary Corps
Veterinary Corps Video

History of the Vet Corps

The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps was formally established by an Act of Congress on 3 June 1916. However, recognition of the need for veterinary expertise had been evolving since 1776 when General Washington directed that a "regiment of horse with a farrier" be raised. Learn more here. Watch the Army Veterinary Corps 104th Anniversary video to find out more about our history.