“Is that the Navy?” An introduction to the United States Public Health Service.
The United States Public Health Service (USPHS) is one of the federal uniformed services of the U.S. made up of highly skilled public health professionals. Think of them as America’s Health Responders. Officers in the USPHS work on the frontlines of public health, fighting disease, conducting research, and caring for patients in underserved communities. Read on to find out more about this amazing service.
➡️ “Is that the Navy?”
No, the USPHS is separate from the US Navy, but they do wear a very similar uniform and use the same ranks as the Navy. The USPHS also wears a uniform similar to the Coast Guard, depending on the job they are performing. Additionally, officers in the USPHS must adhere to uniform and appearance standards, as well as physical fitness standards.
On the afternoon of Thursday, August 28, 2025, CDC employees lined the street outside of CDC’s main campus to clap out three of their esteemed leaders who had resigned instead of signing off on recommendations that were not backed by science.
Source: AP
In the full video of the event, you can see the leaders make their way across the street over to the main entrance, where they were saluted by hundreds of folks in uniform. At about one hour in, you can hear a person gasp and ask, “Is that the Navy?” Though similarly dressed, those were officers in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), a non-militarized branch of the federal uniformed services. The USPHS is made up of thousands of highly skilled public health professionals who work throughout the federal government. They work alongside their civilian counterparts to carry out research, provide technical support, and act as a first line of defense when public health emergencies threaten our nation.
➡️ What do these officers do?
There are 11 professional categories of USPHS officers: physician, nurse, dentist, veterinarian, scientist, dietitian, engineer, environmental health, health services, pharmacist, and therapist. These officers work in over 800 locations throughout the world, serving in more than 30 different federal agencies.
➡️ How are these officers different from a civilian?
In addition to wearing the uniform and having to meet physical fitness standards, officers of the USPHS are also often deployed to respond to public health emergencies, like
➡️ Ebola
➡️ Mpox
➡️ natural disasters, like hurricanes or wildfires
Officers of the USPHS, much like military personnel, are on the clock 24/7, even during events like a government shutdown or reductions in force, like the one at the Department of Health and Human Services that began on April 1, 2025.
💡So now you know! The United States Public Health Service works 24/7 to protect and promote your health, even though you may not have known they existed before today!
