VA Secretary James Nicholson told Washington Post reporters that the additional 2005 and 2006 funding was prompted by “this surge in demand from people coming back from the theater, plus a real increase in demand from veterans of other eras.” Asked if VA is now prepared to handle the load, Nicholson said, “We’re working on it for ’07 now.”
The Air Force in October carried out a homeland defense mission, with jets including F-16 Fighting Falcons, in Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands to show a base there could safeguard the northern regions.