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.”
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.