By Kenny H.
I had the opportunity to represent ActioNet at the Defense Health Information Technology Symposium (DHITS) 2026 in New Orleans. Throughout the week, I engaged with leaders from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM), Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), and industry partners to better understand the priorities shaping the future of military health IT.
One message came through consistently: DHA is moving toward enterprise solutions that strengthen resilience, improve standardization, and support its mission as a Combat Support Agency.
These priorities align closely with ActioNet’s capabilities across enterprise IT operations, cybersecurity, network modernization, service management, cloud, and emerging technologies.
From Local Solutions to Enterprise Capabilities
A major theme at DHITS was the need to move away from siloed technologies and one-off solutions. Future capabilities must be scalable, enterprise-focused, and able to support MTFs operating under very different conditions. This is especially important as MTFs face significant manpower constraints. Modernization must reduce complexity, increase automation, and lessen the burden on local IT teams.
Building Resilience at the MTF Level
Several of my most valuable conversations centered on a critical question: What happens to an MTF when communications go dark?
For military healthcare organizations, this is more than an IT availability issue. Communications and system availability directly affect clinical operations, readiness, and the ability to support the warfighter. Locations such as Guam and other geographically dispersed MTFs highlight the need for resilient architectures, dependable communications, and support models that can sustain operations during degraded connectivity.
As DHA expands its role as a Combat Support Agency, enterprise IT must be designed not only for efficiency, but also for mission resilience.
Cybersecurity, Mobility, and AI
Cybersecurity and endpoint compliance remain highly visible priorities, while secure mobile access is gaining interest as DHA looks for ways to provide access to sensitive systems without increasing risk.
Artificial intelligence is also moving from discussion toward practical application, particularly in environments that require strong protections for sensitive healthcare information. At the same time, the fundamentals remain critical: secure networking, expanded wireless access, reliable endpoint management, and resilient connectivity.
Strengthening Government and Industry Alignment
DHITS also provided valuable opportunities to engage with government and industry leaders across the military health ecosystem.
My discussions with FEHRM representatives reinforced the importance of continued integration across Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health record environments. Conversations with MTF CIOs and DHA leaders highlighted challenges ranging from staffing constraints and communications resilience to enterprise versus local support.
There was also interest in acquisition approaches such as Other Transaction Authority (OTA) that can help evaluate and field innovative capabilities more quickly.
Turning DHITS Insights into Action
My biggest takeaway from DHITS 2026 is that the next phase of military health IT modernization will require more than deploying new technology.
It will require an enterprise operating model built around resilience, standardization, cybersecurity, automation, interoperability, and measurable mission outcomes.
For ActioNet, the opportunity is to help connect those pieces.
Our experience supporting complex federal environments positions us to help DHA and its mission partners modernize networks, strengthen cybersecurity, leverage automation and AI, and build resilient enterprise capabilities that reduce the burden on local MTF personnel.
The conversations in New Orleans reinforced that the technology mission and the healthcare mission are increasingly inseparable. As DHA continues its evolution as a Combat Support Agency, ActioNet remains committed to helping deliver the secure, resilient, enterprise capabilities needed to support that mission.
