DOD plans to reform its disabilities evaluation system, currently managed separately by each service. Between the high demands on the system because of the war terror and service members’ complaints about the system, the Pentagon decided it was time for a business-process review. A Pentagon spokesman said the Defense Department is committed to a full and fair due process for disability evaluation and compensation.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.