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.)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.