VA Secretary Jim Nicholson just announced he is resigning from his post as head of Veterans Affairs because he wants to return to the private sector. His 70th birthday is in February, and he wants to work in business again before he gets any older. Nicholson was sworn in as VA Secretary on Feb. 1, 2005. He will leave the position by Oct. 1. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, commented that he had worked with Nicholson “during some challenging times,” including the potentially massive data breach in 2006, and “found him willing to work with the committee and the Congress on behalf of our nation’s veterans.”
Members of Congress from both parties expressed frustration and dismay over the abrupt and still-unexplained firing last month of Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh from his dual role as head of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency.