Veteran Affairs has opted not to create a single, centralized medical center to replace the Manhattan and Brooklyn VA medical centers. The announcement follows a “detailed, two-year examination” that recognized input from the New York Congressional delegation, veterans groups, and city and state officials, as well as an advisory panel, said a VA statement. This decision follows closely on the heels of one not to consolidate four Boston VA hospitals, even though VA officials had wanted to close older centers to help streamline VA operations over the next 20 years.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…