The International Health Division (IHD) develops Military Health System (MHS) policies, training, and tools to improve how DoD plans for and conducts Medical Stability Operations (MSOs) in at-risk countries and those that suffer conflict or disaster. Medical Stability Operations can include direct care and humanitarian assistance to the local population, medical logistics, restoration of essential services or assisting the host nation in building its own capacity to deliver health care services.

IHD’s efforts include refining MHS policies to improve these health activities with other countries in cooperation with civilian partners; including sustainable development that has a lasting result and contributes to enhancing security; establishing standards of care and technical supervision for MSOs and long-term measures of effectiveness for building and sustaining local medical capacity; identifying DoD-wide MSO capabilities and gaps, prioritized solutions and resource needs; and formulating plans and curriculum guidance for joint education and training programs to make MSOs more effective and culturally appropriate while promoting civil-military coordination.

In 2005 DoD gave a priority to further developing its “Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction Operations” practices, or SSTRO, now called stability operations. Often thought of as primarily post-conflict ‘nation building’ activities like reconstructing medical clinics, stability operations can also be conducted pre-conflict to legitimize governments by helping them build their health infrastructures. More stable governments can in turn produce healthier populations. From combat, post-conflict and disaster settings to preventive stability operations in countries at-risk to crises, the Military Health System partners to work toward health, stability and security.