Military Aviator Coalition for Health
THE MISSION CONTINUES . . .
OUR MISSION
MACH is a 501(c)3 nonprofit coalition of veteran aircrew nonprofits, NGOs, legislative champions, and individual stakeholders marshaling the full spectrum of U.S. military flying experience to protect the health of every past and present crew member. Based on the Red Flag model of shared planning and decisive execution, we fuse data, tactics, and advocacy to drive systemic change. By turning cockpit-tested ingenuity into research-backed policy, MACH’s mission is to unlock definitive research, shape legislation, and deliver programs that protect and improve the health of every U.S. military aviator and crew member.
OUR PRIORITIES
POLICY
Our flagship objective for the 119th Congress is passage of the bipartisan Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act commissioning an independent National Academies study and paving the way for stronger screening and treatment protocols for every military aircrew member.
PARTNERS
Our partners give MACH both credibility and capacity: credibility through subject-matter authority and real-world stories, and capacity through a nationwide grassroots network that keeps pressure on Congress until aircrew health reforms are law.
RESEARCH
MACH advocates for rigorous, independent research to uncover the full scope of cancer risks among military aviators. We support expanding access to DoD and VA health data, and funding longitudinal studies on occupational exposures to mitigate future risk.
HAPPENING NOW
The next chapter of the 𝘈𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 is coming to San Diego. The National Academy of Science Engineering and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) is planning its 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟴 public session aboard the 𝗨𝗦𝗦 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘆 — final time and RSVP information are coming soon.
Over the next 31 days, MACH will share what the committee heard at Wright-Patterson AFB, what the science can and cannot yet answer, and how military aviators can help fill the gaps.
ACES is focused by law on fixed-wing aircrew, but the broader military aviation health conversation matters to rotary-wing communities too — especially as the current rotary-wing cancer study proceeds within DHA.
𝟴 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 — 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗨𝗣. 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘. 𝗔𝗦𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦.
www.nationalacademies.org/projects/HMD-BPH-25-04/event/47530
#acesstudy #aviatorcancer #machcoalition
www.nationalacademies.org/projects/HMD-BPH-25-04/event/47225
YOUR OPPORUTUNITY TO LEARN AND BE HEARD - 27 Oct 0830-1630 EDT
Register at the link below and this will also be webcast.
The National Academies study committee is examining cancer prevalence and mortality among individuals who served on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps as an aircrew member of a fixed-wing aircraft. The event is open to the public and includes presentations from experts related to the occupational exposures of military aircrew. Public attendees will have an opportunity to address the committee.
The study will examine the types of exposures experienced by fixed-wing aircraft aircrew and review scientific evidence on whether those exposures may be linked to cancer. The study committee will also assess available data on cancer rates, illness, and deaths among veterans who began serving in 1990 or later. A final report will summarize findings, identify research gaps, and recommend next steps for future studies.
Additional meetings will be held in San Diego December 7 - 9, 2026, and at an additional military base in early February. Further details forthcoming.
Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Dayton Open Session
www.nationalacademies.org
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is currently conducting a consensus study on possible increased cancer risks related to military veteran aviators service. The study will ...
PROMETHEUS represents something military and veteran health research has needed for a long time: an effort to connect exposure history, biological material, health outcomes, and advanced research capabilities.
But connecting data is not the final objective.
Publishing another study is not the final objective.
The objective must be to improve the lives of service members, veterans, and their families.
For MACH, that means research should ultimately help answer practical questions:
What exposures occurred?
Which populations face elevated risk?
Which cancers warrant tailored attention?
When should screening begin?
Which technologies can detect disease earlier?
What exposures can be reduced or eliminated?
How should military and VA providers care differently for exposed populations?
The aviation-focused PROMETHEUS concept includes exposure-informed prevention, early detection, risk-stratified screening, mitigation recommendations, and precision-treatment insights among its possible translational outcomes.
MACH recognizes that high-quality science takes time. We also recognize that today’s aircrew, maintainers, veterans, survivors, and families cannot wait indefinitely for institutions to connect what is already known.
We will continue:
Engaging researchers
Tracking military and veteran health studies
Identifying information gaps
Advocating for transparency
Supporting exposure-informed screening and care
Working toward an Improved Outcome Strategy
The movement from incidence, to causation, to mitigation and improved outcomes will take sustained effort.
MACH intends to remain at the table.
Learn more about MACH:
milaviator.org
Learn more about PROMETHEUS:
medschool.usuhs.edu/sur/research/murtha-cancer-center/research
#MACHCoalition #PROMETHEUS #ImprovedOutcomes #MilitaryHealth #VeteranHealth #AviatorHealth #CancerResearch #EarlyDetection #OccupationalHealth #StrongerTogether
IN THE NEWS
- Military Aviator Cancers: The Hinge Point | JAN 2026
- Report Will Target Cancer Rates in Aircrews, But Toxic-Exposure Work Is Far From Finished | SEP 2026
- Aviator cancer study law is a win, but there's still more to do for toxic-exposed veterans. | SEP 2026
- ACES Act Becomes Law: A Milestone for Military Aviators’ Health | AUG 2025
- SIGNED INTO LAW: The ACES Act | AUG 2025
- Rep. Pfluger's ACES Act Passes Through the House | MAY 2025
- Cancer rates in military pilots and other aviators could get a closer look | JAN 2025
- Panetta, Pfluger Seek to Lower Military Aviation Cancer Rates | JAN 2025
- Military Aviator Cancers: The Aces Act | MAY 2024
- Military Aviator Cancers: The 2023 DOD Study | APR 2024
- Military Aviator Cancer: The USAF Pathfinder Study Changes The Discussion | MAR 2024
- Military Aviator Cancers: The Campaign Roots | MAR 2024
- Military Aviator Cancers: How Did We Get Here?| MAR 2024
- New Paper on Military: Soldiers Exposed to Radar and Full Body RF Have Higher Cancers | OCT 2022
IN THE MEDIA
FLIGHT PLANS
ACES ACT
- ZIntroduce H.R. 530 - The ACES Act
- Z Pass House Subcomittees
- ZPASS THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- ZPASS THE SENATE
- ZFINALIZE BILL IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- ZACES ACT SIGNED INTO LAW
- ZACES Act cancer study CONTRACT SIGNED BY NASEM & THE VA
ROTOR ACT
- ZIntroduce H.R. 4704 – The ROTOR Act
- VAdvocate for H.R. 4704 in the Senate
- VPass the House of Representatives
- VPass the Senate
- VFinalize Bill in House of Representatives
- VROTOR ACT SIGNED INTO LAW