On paper the Navy met its retention goal last year. But whether the military is keeping people with the skills it needs is a bigger question mark. Anthony Cordesman discussed personnel challenges facing the Department of Defense.

The first inpatient psychiatric unit, with a dozen beds, opens October 11. More will follow until all 60 private rooms are open by mid-next year.

Sailors who leave the Navy can wait months for proof they served, which can hold up jobs and benefits.

“I suspect there are other birds dying that we don’t know about,” said Gary Costanzo with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.