Pentagon officials say each of the services now are beginning to institute assessments of the health—physical and mental—of each troop returning from deployment—within 90 to 120 days of their return. Officials say the new program is slated to start in January. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps began testing the program in June; the Air Force started its test in September.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.