BackgroundPrevious data collected from tactical health engagements was limited to measures of performance, such as number of patients seen or number of people trained. These engagements were sometimes missions of opportunity and were not necessarily aligned with strategic objectives or the Combatant Command (COCOM) Theater Security Cooperation Plan. The Measures of Effectiveness in Defense Engagement and Learning (MODEL) study and the Global Health Engagement Measures of Effectiveness Framework intend to provide a standardised process across services and COCOMs as value-added information to decision makers involved with global health engagements. MethodsThis study encompasses a mixed methodological structure with multiple phases: literature review, quantitative and qualitative modelling, assessment, data repository, and site visits. These phases may overlap and/or occur concurrently depending on resource availability and mission support requirements. MODEL includes components from the results and logical frameworks and creates a hybrid that references strategy to tactical activities via the Global Health Engagement Measures of Effectiveness Framework. FindingsThis study has completed a project sorting matrix that has been used to categorise all available Department of Defense (DoD) projects submitted through the Overseas Humanitarian Assistance Shared Information System (OHASIS) database. Through this sorting matrix it has been determined that an average of 52% of all projects completed encompass either direct or health-related activities. It was also found that 58% of all funding allotted supports these health-related engagements. These data were obtained from a total sample size of 2522 funded projects submitted through OHASIS between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2012. InterpretationThe descriptive data pulled from OHASIS through the MODEL sorting matrix indicated that health is a frequently employed means to execute regional theater security cooperation engagements. A prospective analysis of the DoD's role in global health engagements will be conducted to include further study evaluating the effectiveness of each type of engagement to ensure COCOMs have necessary information for more effective employment of limited resources. FundingThis study was funded through a Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) federally funded grant.