Service members preparing to leave the military and enter civilian life can smooth the transition by attending free workshops offered by the Labor Department in collaboration with DOD and Veterans Affairs. The workshops address job search skills, veteran’s benefits, disabled veterans concerns, and other pertinent issues. A DOD news report says the workshops are held at military bases and are open to active duty and reserve personnel. Labor statistics show that about 318,000 military personnel change from military to civilian life each year, and in 2006, some 140,000 service members used the workshops. “We would like to see many more attend,” said Charles S. Ciccolella, assistant labor secretary for the veteran’s employment and training service.
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.