Lt. Gen. Nadja West, the newly appointed Army Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command commanding general, visited the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command March 3.

West was confirmed as the Army Surgeon General in December 2015. As the Army Surgeon General, West oversees the U.S. Army Medical Command, which is composed of three regional health commands, the USAMRMC and Army Medical Department Center & School.

West coordinated her visit prior to participating in a hearing March 9 with the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Defense, to review the fiscal year 2017 budget request for the Defense Health Program.

"Lt. Gen. West is not a stranger to the USAMRMC," said Maj. Gen. Brian C. Lein, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and Fort Detrick. "During her visit, we were able to share some of the latest ground-breaking research and work being conducted at by the medical commands at Fort Detrick prior to such an important hearing.

After meeting with Lein and other members of the USAMRMC leadership team, West met with USAMRMC subject matter experts, learned more about the command's vast research portfolio and was able to see firsthand a sampling of the products and programs being developed to ensure our Armed Forces remain in optimal health and are equipped to protect themselves from disease and injury, particularly on the battlefield.

In addition to being the Army Surgeon General and MEDCOM commander, West is the first black female three-star general and the highest ranking female of any race to graduate from West Point.

The Army Surgeon General provides advice and assistance to the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff on all health care matters pertaining to the U.S. Army and its military health care system. West is responsible for the development, policy direction, organization and overall management of an integrated Army-wide health service system and is the medical materiel developer for the Army. These duties include formulating policy regulations on health service support, health hazard assessment and the establishment of health standards.

"It was my honor to not only congratulate Lt. Gen. West on making Army history but to also provide her the information that she required to present to key decision makers during the hearing, said Lein. "Lt. Gen. West has a very important job of making sure that we here at USAMRMC are able to continue our work in ensuring that the Warfighter is protected and ready for whatever threats they may face in the line of duty.