Brig. Gen. (P) Caravalho Holds Q&A to Address Fiscal Uncertainty

Photo by Ellen Crown

USAMRMC and Fort Detrick Commander Brig. Gen. (P) Joseph Caravalho Jr. addresses staff Jan. 24 during an Q&A session about fiscal uncertainty.

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As USAMRMC and Fort Detrick Commander Brig. Gen. (P) Joseph Caravalho Jr. stood in front of a crowd Jan. 24, he spoke openly about why he had asked everyone to gather. "I want you to know that I'm going to tell you everything that I know. The best power I can give you right now is knowledge," he said, referencing evolving budget discussing within the federal government. "I don't have all of the answers. But if I had waited until I do, some of you might have connected certain dots and started thinking the worst."

For those who attended one of the two hour-long sessions at the post's Community Activity Center, which were also available via video teleconferencing, the event allowed for a variety of query options. Besides approaching a live microphone, people could submit handwritten questions, email them to a specific inbox, or text them to a dedicated line.

Attendees inquired about specifics about hiring freezes to implications to current employees. Caravalho explained he will not speculate about future decisions, yet he would share that planning has focused on prioritizing what is mission-critical.

"Every job is mission-critical; let's start with that. One of the things we'll look at is what mission-critical responsibilities can be delayed or deferred for 60 - 90 days," explained Caravalho. "We also have to see which of our efforts support the Army Med Strategy 2020...Mission-critical is going to be applied to those priorities."

Caravalho confirmed he plans to continue to hold Q&A forums and post videos online for all critical topics because he wants to ensure, "everyone receives the same message."