DOD has launched the 14-member—seven military, seven external—taskforce that Congress mandated in the Fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill should contemplate the future of military healthcare. The Pentagon recently stated that it would be revamping medical operations but not creating a single medical command. Congress has charged this task force primarily with focusing on the matter of rising health care costs, having successfully fought off—this year—the Administration bid to raise Tricare premiums for military retirees. (The list of task force members is in this news release.)
U.S. Northern Command plans to sign an agreement with its European and Pacific counterparts to enhance coordination and close security seams in the Arctic, a strategically vital region that spans all three commands. The agreement comes at an important moment in NORTHCOM's evolution, as its mission grows more complex.
