Key lawmakers, led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, have just introduced the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007 (HR 1538). Skelton said the measure is “our initial legislative response to address the most compelling of the issues that have emerged surrounding the treatment of wounded warriors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.” In a joint statement, Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), chairman of the military personnel panel, said that the bill won’t fix every problem, but “it is intended to be a bipartisan first step in cutting through the bureaucracy and making sure that our service men and women are treated right.” Congressman Bob Filner (D-Calif.), chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, explained that the legislation “would provide for a pilot program to streamline the records transmission process” between DOD and VA.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.