Doug Collins, an Air Force Reserve colonel, chaplain, and Iraq War veteran, was confirmed on Tuesday as the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in a 72-23 Senate vote. In addition to his Air Force service, Collins is also a Navy veteran, Baptist minister and former congressman.
Collins served in the Navy from August 1994 to June 1996 as a chaplain corps student, leaving the service as an ensign. He joined the Air Force Reserve as a chaplain following the Sept. 11, 2001. terrorist attacks. He deployed to Balad Air Base in Iraq for five months in 2008, during which time he served as the nighttime flight chaplain, according to the Air Force.
He told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that his military experience gives him an insight into the needs of Global War on Terrorism veterans.
“I understand burn pits, because I slept next to one for many months,” Collins said during his Jan. 25 confirmation hearing. “I understand this generation — that went for time and time again, deployment after deployment, in a different way than we’d seen many times before in our past wars — and the needs that they have.”
Collins’ appointment received broad approval from a number of veteran service organizations.
“As fellow veterans, we look forward to seeing him carry out sensible reforms that enable VA to deliver high-quality, timely health care and other benefits to our brothers- and sisters-in-arms,” said Randy Reese, the executive director of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Washington Headquarters, in a statement on Tuesday.
Collins’ confirmation shows that Congress is confident in his ability to make the federal government work for American veterans, said Reese, who added that DAV hopes that the Senate confirms other leaders at the VA as quickly as possible.
“DAV looks forward to working closely with Secretary Collins and his staff to strengthen the VA for the millions of veterans, families, caregivers and survivors it serves, and ensuring that it can continue doing so for generations to come,” Reese said.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Walt Piatt, CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), similarly congratulated Collins on his confirmation.
“WWP looks forward to working with Secretary Collins and the new administration to ensure our country keeps the solemn promise it makes to service members when they don the uniform,” Piatt said in a statement on Tuesday.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) also issued a statement on Tuesday saying that Collins’ confirmation represents an opportunity to “fix the broken VA health care system and ensure bureaucratic accountability and veterans’ access to full choice.”
Specifically, CVA pledged to work with Collins and President Donald Trump’s administration on a series of veterans issues, including having the VA go through an external audit; and advocating for a review of how the VA manages its resources, ranging from assets and facilities to personnel; and securing a commitment from the VA to provide veterans with more control over their care.
“Doug Collins has been vocal about fixing the broken VA health care system and ensuring veterans’ access to choice,” the CVA statement says. “He will be uniquely positioned to reform the VA bureaucracy and follow the intent of Congress rather than ignoring the law and acting on institutional interest alone.”
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Commander Alfred J. “Al” Lipphardt wrote Collins a letter in November congratulating him on his nomination to serve as VA secretary and stressing that the agency needs to make changes.
“Doing the same thing over and over is truly the definition of insanity,” Lipphardt wrote. “Routine leads to complacency, complacency to mediocrity, and mediocrity to failure. The VFW has changed. Everything we do; we do for veterans. We know that VA is overdue for change. Our goal is to help you craft your vision for this critical change. Future generations are counting on us.”