The Administration’s Fiscal 2008 budget request includes $86.75 billion for Veterans Affairs, the bulk of which would fund the department’s health care and disability compensation programs. The request provides $36.6 billion to cover health care for roughly 5.8 million patients and $4.6 billion for extended care services. The VA portion also includes nearly $3 billion to fund mental health services, especially for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Read the highlights.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.