Democratic lawmakers have sent a letter to President Bush, protesting the Pentagon plan to raise Tricare fees for military retirees. They note that, according to Administration officials, the fee increase would “force 600,000 veterans out of the Tricare system.” (Perhaps that is the plan.) The legislators call the proposal “unconscionable” and maintain it will only “exacerbate” a growing recruiting and retention problem.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…