In response to congressional mandate and in light of proposals to close the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS), this study reviewed issues related to USUHS and other means through which the Department of Defense (DOD) obtains physicians. In particular the study examined the cost of obtaining military physicians from all sources, the quality of the medical education at USUHS, how physicians are trained to meet the needs of military medicine, and retention rate patterns among the accession programs. The study used findings from prior studies; analyzed data from the DOD, the services and USUHS; and held discussions with military and civilians officials. Results included the following: (1) USUHS is the costliest physician source on a per graduate basis; (2) university costs are comparable to scholarship cost based on expected years of service and all federal costs; (3) USUHS students receive extensive military medical readiness training, but its impact is unclear; (4) with regard to retention, data suggest that USUHS are likely to provide DOD with a cadre of experienced physician career officers; and (5) scholarship program physicians, who comprise the majority of new physician accessions, are retained in the military for shorter periods than USUHS graduates. Appendixes contain information on research methodology and background data. (JB)