Top DOD health care officials got to hear first hand from severely injured troops about the problems and gaps in the military’s health care system, in a first ever “From Deployment to Employment” conference last week. Although wounded troops in a special panel praised the medical treatment they had received for their wounds, they spotlighted problems with subsequent paperwork, bureaucratic delays, and the lack of knowledgeable and empathetic staffers. According to Stars and Stripes, senior health care officials acknowledged a need for more compassion. The newspaper quoted DOD health affairs chief, William Winkenwerder, as saying, “You don’t want to take people’s hope away from them.”
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.