Billionaire pledges $275 million to support mental health for vets

Billionaire hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen pledged $275 million to support military veterans and their families by opening up free mental-health care clinics across the country, according to Business Insider.

The Cohen Veterans Network officially launched its operations this week. The clinics will treat veterans, free of charge, who suffer from post-traumatic stress and other mental health conditions, Cohen and executive director Dr. Anthony Hassan said in a release.

“The wounds of war are serious. It is not easy to serve your country in combat overseas and then come back into society seamlessly, especially if you are suffering,” Cohen said in a statement. “These men and women have paid an incredible price and it’s important that this country pays back that debt.”

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The Air Force is planning about half-billion dollars in upgrades at Eielson Air Force in the next five years to make way for two new squadrons of F-35 fighter jets, according to Military.com.

Officials announced Monday that the base 26 miles south of Fairbanks would be getting 54 of the aircraft starting in 2020. Col. Mike Winkler, 354th Fighter Wing Commander, said funding will go toward the construction of new hangars and other projects for the F-35s beginning this fall, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

With the arrival of the jets, the Air Force also plans to add hundreds of military personnel. Winkler said there could also be new recreational facilities built to accommodate the base’s larger population.

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Stars and Stripes is reporting that the Air Force will seek to build up airfields in eastern Europe with the additional money the service hopes to receive next year for its European mission, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe said.

Gen. Frank Gorenc said Tuesday that the increase in European Reassurance Initiative money would allow his command to improve its presence and facilities on NATO’s eastern flank and to deter Russia, while also allowing for continuous training and more bilateral and multilateral exercises, according to an Air Force statement.

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A veteran in Congress is calling on the secretary of defense to examine the current Navy SEAL combat training program, saying it’s less effective than a previous method and not conducive to SEAL operations.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, former Marine officer and member of the House Armed Services Committee, sent an April 5 letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter requesting that Carter provide “clarity” on Naval Special Warfare’s 2011 move to replace its Close Quarters Defense institutionalized training system with Mixed Martial Arts, according to Military.com.

“I have concerns with the process for considering and awarding the contracts that have led to the removal of CQD from SEAL training,” Hunter wrote. “NSW operators and leadership have consistently determined CQD to be the most operationally effective training to prepare SEALs for combat, evidenced by more than 11,000 positive critiques and numerous complimentary reports.”

Hunter is raising the issue as the Senate prepares to consider the nomination of Rear Adm. Timothy Szymanski to be commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, which oversees all Navy SEAL teams.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Billionaire pledges $275 million to support mental health for vets."