BUMED was one of the original five
Navy bureaus formed in 1842 to replace the
Board of Navy Commissioners. It is one of two bureaus still in existence. In 2005, Navy Medicine aligned its shore facilities into four overarching commands: Navy Medicine East, Navy Medicine West, Navy Medicine National Capital Area, and Navy Medicine Support Command. In 2012, Navy Medicine Support Command was renamed and realigned into the Navy Medicine Education and Training Command, with its non-training units becoming independent under BUMED. Navy Medicine National Capital Area's largest component, the National Naval Medical Center in
Bethesda, Maryland, was merged in 2011 with
Walter Reed Army Medical Center to form the joint
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a result of the
2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The merged facility came under the jurisdiction of the new
Joint Task Force National Capital Region/Medical, and in 2013, Navy Medicine National Capital Area was disestablished, with its few remaining facilities transferred to Navy Medicine East. While a 2006 report of the
Defense Business Board recommended that the Army, Navy, and Air Force medical commands be merged into a
single joint command, citing savings in budget and personnel, this recommendation was not carried out and in 2012 the
Defense Health Agency (DHA) was established separately from the military medical commands. All three military medical commands were, however, all moved to share the new Defense Health Headquarters facility in Falls Church with DHA, again as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure. == Organization ==