SAN DIEGO, CA – July 25, 2025 – Rear Adm. Guido Valdes relinquished command to Rear Adm. Kevin Brown as commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) and director of the Defense Health Network – Pacific Rim (DHN-PR) during a change of command ceremony at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) today.

The ceremony marked the end of Valdes’ three-year tour. Brown now leads the more than 14,600 personnel of NMFP and DHN-PR.

“Serving as commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific and director of the Defense Health Network – Pacific Rim has been one of the greatest privileges and challenges of my career,” Valdes said. “It’s a responsibility I approached with trepidation and humility and one I leave with immense pride in all we have accomplished together.”

During his tenure beginning in May 2022, while navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Valdes led NMFP in achieving significant advancements in medical readiness, health care delivery and financial stability. He oversaw a realignment of medical facilities without disrupting patient care. He also guided the establishment of the Naval Expeditionary Medicine Warfighter Development Center (NEMWDC), prioritizing combat trauma readiness and operational medical support. Valdes’ leadership resulted in 101 Individual Augmentee missions and responses to 115 Requests for Support, demonstrating NMFP’s critical role in operational deployments. Despite budget challenges, he secured $40 million in sustainable funding for Navy Medicine Research and Development, addressing health threats and enhancing warfighter survivability.

All nine DHN-PR Military Treatment Facilities maintained Joint Commission accreditation, with Naval Medical Center San Diego, U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, and Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms each earning ‘A’ grades from Leapfrog, reflecting a commitment to patient safety and clinical excellence. The facilities provide more than 3,000 primary care encounters, 500 dental procedures and 3,500 specialty visits daily, while training over 400 residents in 24 Graduate Medical Education programs.

Valdes also led DHN-PR to financial self-sufficiency in under 15 months, becoming one of only two DHA networks to achieve that milestone.

Surgeon General of the Navy and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Rear Adm. Darin Via, presided over the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of NMFP and DHN-PR to the Navy Medicine mission.

“For the past three years, Guido and his team of unsung heroes of operational health services readiness have been "manning newly established platforms and deploying medical warfighters around the world in direct support of combat operations and deterring Chinese aggression, providing health security cooperation in support of the Pacific Fleet and Indo-Pacific Commander,” Via said. “Simultaneously he provided critical expertise and leadership for the realignment and seamless transition of operations from a two-facility market to an integrated health care delivery system of nine geographically unique commands, encompassing 53 clinics and 44 Dental Treatment Facilities, all under the Defense Health Network Pacific Rim, with a $1.2 billion budget and over 362,000 beneficiaries, better aligning Fleet and Fleet Marine Force Commanders Risk to Health Services support via a single responsible leader.”

Via highlighted Valdes’ role in developing Expeditionary Medicine platforms and contributions to exercises like Keen Sword, Pacific Sentry, and Keen Edge.

“In his role as task group commander for multiple all-theater conflict scenarios, he had operational command (OPCON) over afloat medical roles 2 and 3 assets, EXMEDS, and the majority of medical support,” Via explained.

He also noted Brown’s historic appointment as the first commander of NMFP to have led both Atlantic and Pacific commands.

Brown brings experience from commanding over 26,000 staff across 22 commands, managing a $1.9 billion budget and caring for over 423,000 patients. He spearheaded a 30% growth in manned, trained and equipped medical deployable systems and previously led efforts that decreased non-deployability by 19%, saving 44,000 lost man-days.

“I can think of no better place and no more qualified team than the Naval Medical Forces Pacific and Defense Health Network – Pacific Rim,” Brown said. “Your expertise in health care delivery is well demonstrated, your commitment to our beneficiaries and the operational mission is unmatched, and you offer unlimited potential as a research and warfighting readiness platform. I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else today and can’t wait to get after our important work together.”

NMFP provides oversight for 10 Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC) on the West Coast and Pacific Rim that train, man and equip medical forces, primarily in military treatment facilities. Globally, NMFP oversees eight research laboratories that deliver research expertise in support of warfighter health and readiness. Additionally, NMFP manages the Naval Expeditionary Medicine Warfighter Development Center (NEMWDC), which plays a critical role in preparing medical teams for expeditionary and operational environments.

Defense Health Network Pacific Rim (DHN-PR) is one of the Defense Health Agency’s nine networks of hospitals and clinics that deliver high-quality health care to the more than 276,000 TRICARE beneficiaries we are privileged to serve. The DHN-PR headquarters is located in San Diego, supporting military treatment facilities along the U.S. West Coast and overseas in Guam and Japan.

Navy Medicine, with more than 44,000 military and civilian health care professionals, provides expeditionary medical support to the warfighter.