VA Secretary Jim Nicholson just announced he is resigning from his post as head of Veterans Affairs because he wants to return to the private sector. His 70th birthday is in February, and he wants to work in business again before he gets any older. Nicholson was sworn in as VA Secretary on Feb. 1, 2005. He will leave the position by Oct. 1. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, commented that he had worked with Nicholson “during some challenging times,” including the potentially massive data breach in 2006, and “found him willing to work with the committee and the Congress on behalf of our nation’s veterans.”
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.