Just when we thought the news couldn’t get much worse on the theft of VA data, Secretary James Nicholson now says that he was wrong about the theft encompassing up to 50,000 military members as well as 26.5 million veterans. The VA now believes the May 3 theft included data for up to 2.2 million active duty and reserve members. (The number comprises 1.1 million active, 430,000 Guard, and 645,000 Reserve personnel.) Nicholson revealed the latest information Tuesday—continuing the VA’s latter-day desire to tell all quickly—but the news was not immediately posted on the VA Web site for all to view. Here is the statement, posted sometime this morning.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.