Construction 
of the new 681,000-square-foot Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center will begin before year’s end at Lackland AFB, Tex., according to officials with the base’s 59th Medical Wing. “This is the biggest thing to happen to the Wilford Hall medical campus in 35 years,” said Rich Anaya, 59th MDW facilities management director. He said the entire medical campus is being redesigned to support the base’s new ambulatory surgical and clinical function that BRAC 2005 established. When complete in late 2017, the center will feature four wings that house more than 40 outpatient clinics and services, along with a 1,000-car parking garage. The Air Force will demolish the existing Wilford Hall Medical Center after the ASC is complete and fully operational. The construction will be in three phases. The Air Force awarded the phase-one construction contract on Sept. 3. (Lackland report by Sue Campbell)
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.