Good News from VA?: Veterans Affairs plans to open 25 new community-based clinics in 17 states and American Samoa. The 25 will join the VA’s 700 other clinics and 156 hospitals. (Click here to see list of states and locales.) The VA is in the midst of a 20-year plan known as Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services to modernize its facilities. (Read our 2004 article on CARES plan here.) VA officials have not yet released a schedule for opening the 25 new clinics but plan to start sometime this year.
The U.S. military’s ability to access air bases in Europe will be a central consideration as the Trump administration makes decisions on the future American military posture on the continent, the top Pentagon policy official said.