Establishment of the Defense Department’s hearing center of excellence is “well underway,” Lt. Gen. Charles Green, Air Force surgeon general, told House lawmakers Tuesday in prepared testimony. With its executive hub located in San Antonio at Wilford Hall Medical Center on Lackland AFB, Tex., the HCE will lead DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs efforts to prevent, diagnose, mitigate, treat, and rehabilitate hearing loss and auditory system injuries to US military personnel. Green said the HCE also “will greatly enhance research efforts” in this realm. Hearing loss is a significant cost-incurring disability for both organizations, he said. In fact, “tinnitus is the number one diagnosis of veterans” from Afghanistan and Iraq, he said. The Air Force Medical Service is the lead component for the HCE, which was created by a provision in the 2009 defense authorization act. (Green prepared remarks)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
