Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs is the Joint Staff Surgeon at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He provides medical advice to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Staff and the Combatant Commanders. He coordinates all issues related to health services, to include operational medicine, force health protection and readiness among the combatant commands, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the services. He led the development and publication of the initial Joint Medical Estimate and serves as medical advisor to the Department of Defense COVID-19 Task Force. Maj. Gen. Friedrichs received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1986 and his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the Uniformed Services University in 1990. He has commanded at the squadron and group level, served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery and led joint and interagency teams which earned numerous awards, including “Best Air Force Hospital.” As Chair of the Military Health System’s Joint Task Force on High Reliability Organizations, he oversaw developing a roadmap to continuously improve military health care. As the Command Surgeon for Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Transportation Command and Air Combat Command, the general and his teams identified gaps, developed mitigation plans and enhanced readiness for future conflicts and contingencies.