Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs is the Joint Staff Surgeon, Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is the Chairman’s principal medical advisor, responsible for ensuring that the Joint Force is medically ready to deploy and medically sustained in a deployed environment. He supports Combatant Command requirements as the Global medical integrator for the Joint Force.

Prior to the Joint Staff, he served as the Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Combat Command at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

General Friedrichs received his commission through the ROTC in 1986 and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Uniformed Services University in 1990. He has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery and published 10 peer-reviewed surgical articles. He has commanded at the squadron and group level, and led joint and interagency teams which earned numerous awards, including “Best Air Force Hospital.” He led one of the Air Force surgical teams which responded to the Pentagon on Sept. 11. As the Command Surgeon, U.S. Transportation Command, he rebaselined Defense Department global patient movement requirements, published Base Plan 9008, CONUS Patient Distribution Plan and safely moved thousands of ill and injured worldwide, including from combat operations and during multiple disaster responses.