Amidst a cloud of skepticism, Keith Bass, the retired Navy commander nominated to be the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, is preparing for his confirmation hearing. This nomination comes at a time when the military’s health system, valued at $61 billion, is grappling with significant challenges.
Bass, who previously held key roles such as leading the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Medical Services and the White House Medical Unit, is under scrutiny by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a prominent Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She has raised concerns about his capability to manage the Defense Department’s health system, which serves 9.5 million beneficiaries, including 1.3 million active-duty personnel.
The role of health affairs assistant secretary involves setting policy, managing the Pentagon’s health budget, and advising Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on health issues pertinent to military beneficiaries. Currently, the military health system faces issues like staffing shortages, patient retention challenges affecting provider training, and delays in patient care within the Tricare health program.
Sen. Warren’s letter to Bass on Monday highlighted these challenges and questioned his suitability for the role. Drawing attention to his past, she referenced a SpyTalk article that alleged Bass was dismissed as head of the CIA medical office due to mishandling the investigation into Havana syndrome. This mysterious condition affected over 330 U.S. officials after exposure to an unknown auditory phenomenon.
The article further accused Bass of mismanaging the CIA’s COVID-19 response, impacting its personnel. Additionally, a DoD Inspector General report from January revealed that during Bass’ tenure at the White House, ineligible civilian staff received unauthorized medical care and prescription drugs at military medical facilities.
Sen. Warren expressed grave concern, stating, “At best, you were oblivious to the wider distribution of sedatives and stimulants by White House pharmacy operations and, in the worst case, you were complicit. Either scenario should disqualify you from serving as the [assistant secretary of defense for health affairs].”
In his last role, Bass led the West Texas VA Health Care System, managing a $153 million budget and providing services to 24,000 veterans. His nomination was announced by President Donald Trump, who described him and other nominees as “a slate of America First patriots.”
Dr. Stephen Ferrara, who currently serves as acting assistant secretary for health affairs, has been actively working to support the military health system. He emphasized the importance of providing prompt and effective medical attention to service members worldwide in a recent statement during a military health conference.
The upcoming Senate Armed Services Committee hearing will also consider three other nominees: Troy Meink for Air Force secretary, Michael Duffey for undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, and Emil Michael for undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.
Warren has requested Bass to provide written responses to her questions by Wednesday, expressing her concerns about his past and potential impact on the military health care system.
