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The U.S. Army is set to phase out all unit-level Athletic Trainers—civilian healthcare specialists embedded with units to provide immediate care and rehabilitation for musculoskeletal injuries—by the end of fiscal year 2024, according to an internal email obtained by Military.com.
Currently, approximately 180 Athletic Trainers serve across the Army, working directly with soldiers to prevent and manage minor muscle and joint injuries. Their removal signals a major shift in how the Army plans to support the physical health of its troops.
“All our work is about prevention and early intervention,” one Athletic Trainer told Military.com on the condition of anonymity. “Soldiers will be out of training for longer periods of time, and we’ll see more buildup in chronic conditions.”
The issue stems from bureaucratic complications between the Army and the Defense Health Agency (DHA). Athletic Trainers, though vital to frontline care, fall outside traditional military medical classifications—making it difficult to secure funding and provide proper medical oversight under existing regulations.
“Because [Athletic Trainers] touch health care delivery, several challenges exist to legally fund the contract and provide medical oversight,” Mingus wrote in his email. “I recognize [Athletic Trainers] are our best tool for early injury identification, which leads to early intervention and early return to duty.”
Though the Army plans to expand its strength and conditioning staff, many in uniform see this as insufficient. These coaches, while valuable in physical training development, are not trained to assess or treat injuries in the field.
Historically, the presence of Athletic Trainers has significantly improved outcomes. Prior to their integration, soldiers with minor injuries often had to wait at crowded medical clinics, leading to delays in care and longer physical profiles. In many cases, small injuries snowballed into serious conditions resulting in medical discharge.
Research supports the Athletic Trainers’ impact. A study in the Journal of Athletic Training found that when the Air Force integrated Athletic Trainers into basic training units between 2016 and 2018, musculoskeletal-related attrition dropped by 25%. Overall attrition from all causes fell by 15%, saving the service roughly $10 million. A similar Army-based study estimated that reducing early discharges and extended care needs saved between $11 million and $20 million annually.
“This is a key asset for my soldiers,” one active-duty Army command sergeant major said anonymously. “We train hard, and with that, soldiers get injured and we need them to recover and get back into the fight. But more importantly—we don’t want these small field injuries turning into big problems later in their lives.”
While the rest of the H2F initiative—which includes performance nutrition, mental health, sleep optimization, and spiritual readiness—will remain intact, the removal of Athletic Trainers has left many questioning the Army’s long-term commitment to injury prevention and individualized care.
The loss of this frontline support system, many say, will be felt most directly by the soldiers themselves. Read more here.