The House Veterans Affairs Committee held the first of several committee oversight hearings concerned with the transition of service personnel from active duty to veteran status. Although the VA health care system relies on electronic patient records, service members fresh off active duty and seeking VA health care must present paper medical records. Lawmakers have been working for 20 years to create a resource-sharing environment for DOD and VA health care. Yet, says, Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), the two departments are still operating in separate worlds.” The electronic exchange of patient data has been in the works for seven years, says Buyer, adding that the situation presents “significant cost” to taxpayers and veterans.
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…