If the military personnel panel of the House Armed Services Committee has its way with the 2008 defense authorization bill, Congress, once again, would bar the Pentagon from raising Tricare enrollment fees. Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), panel chair, noted that the Pentagon’s own task force on the future of military health care and the Government Accountability Office will not have their reports ready until late this year. Without those “careful, comprehensive, unbiased” reviews, Snyder said the Defense Department’s “premature proposals” would unduly burden military retirees and “not really address systematic cost drivers within the system.”
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.