In characterizing the effect of a 2009 mandate to reduce medical evacuation times in Afghanistan, in this issue of JAMA Surgery, Kotwal and colleages1 demonstrate the effectiveness of combining advanced trauma care capability with informed policy. Unlike any report before it, this study demonstrates that one without the other—capability without policy or policy without capability—results in compromised success. In this case, the principle applies to success of the US military’s trauma system that endeavors to save lives and improve recovery of personnel injured in defense of the nation.