ALCOAST 017/20 - JAN 2020 DIRECT TO CONSUMER GENETIC TESTING ADVISORY FOR MILITARY MEMBERS

R 161518 JAN 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-11//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N06010//
ALCOAST 017/20
COMDTNOTE 6010
SUBJ:  DIRECT TO CONSUMER GENETIC TESTING ADVISORY FOR MILITARY MEMBERS
A. Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Memo dated 20 Dec 2019
1. IAW REF (A), all U.S. Coast Guard military members are advised to
understand that there are risks when using over the counter or commercially
advertised genetic services.
2. Military members are putting themselves at risk when they use
commercial genetic testing products such as 23andMe or Ancestry.
3. These genetic tests claim to offer information on ancestry or health
information. However, most are not FDA approved and could expose the personal
and genetic information of military members to unknown entities, creating a
potential operational risk, including mass surveillance.
4. The test results could also raise potentially inaccurate concerns about
fitness for duty and medical readiness. Military members should only seek
genetic testing or information from a licensed professional, rather than
directly from a private or for profit company.
5. POC: CDR JP Ahluwalia (Chief, Occupational Medicine, COMDT (CG-1121)),
202-475-5212, E-mail: Jaspal.S.Ahluwalia@uscg.mil.
6. RADM Dana L. Thomas, Director, Health, Safety, and Work-Life, sends.
7. Internet release is authorized.