Veterans Affairs has joined forces with Florida in a pilot project that will offer severely injured troops additional benefits from the state once they transition from military hospitals to a VA medical facility. VA chief James Nicholson calls it a “promising extension” of VA’s own transition assistance. If it works in Florida, says Nicholson, he wants to “partner with other states to make this long-term support possible for these most deserving veterans in other parts of the country.”
U.S. Africa Command will soon see if a small, autonomous aircraft can evacuate casualties from austere locations during a demonstration planned for December in Morocco. Merlin, an autonomous aviation firm, announced Nov. 11 it has received a $500,000 contract from AFRICOM for the demo mission.