The Administration has formed two groups to review the problems affecting outpatients at the Walter Reed and Bethesda medical centers and the larger issue of the transition of wounded service members. The Pentagon’s Independent Review Group held its first meeting the day before Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the resignation of Army Secretary Francis Harvey. The IRG’s nine members include former Clinton and Reagan Administration Army Secretaries Togo West and Jack Marsh. President Bush on Friday in a radio address, said he is forming a bipartisan Presidential Commission “to conduct a comprehensive review” from the battlefield through their return to civilian life. The IRG is to report its findings about outpatient care and administrative processes in the National Capital area within 45 days.
The Defense Innovation Board adopted a series of new recommendations and praised the Air Force for its big bets on emerging technology in recent years that seem primed to help new entrants to the defense market bridge the so-called valley of death between initial investment and actual production contracts.