Sen. Tim Kaine visits Joint Force Command in Norfolk, Hampton VA Medical Center

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Sen. Tim Kaine made two stops in Hampton Roads on Monday afternoon, the first in Norfolk to discuss NATO before heading to Hampton, where he met with VA Medical Center directors.

Kaine (D-Va.) met with Vice Admiral Douglas Perry, commander of Joint Force Command (JFC) Norfolk and several military leaders to discuss the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

“JFC Norfolk is one of three operational NATO commands in the world, and the only operational NATO headquarters in North America,” Kaine said. 

The operational location on the Naval Station Norfolk base is inspired by the war against Ukraine. 

“Alliances are the name of the game when it comes to providing security and stability,” Kaine said. “It’s important for the U.S., but it’s an object of pride for Virginians that the investments for these alliances, the planning for them and the operations are right here in Hampton Roads.”

The meeting comes after the Senate passed a bill to prevent any United States president from leaving NATO.

Following the meeting, Kaine told the media that the bill, included in the National Defense Authorization Act, is important given the upcoming presidential election and rising challenges around the world.

“[Our allies] were hearing [former] President Trump talk about maybe getting out of NATO,” Kaine said. 

The meeting is timely as the war in Ukraine continues, following a recent pact between Russian and North Korean leaders.

“The last week … that visit of [Vladimir] Putin to North Korea that’s being driven by their awareness … — Putin thought he could dominate Ukraine immediately and found that of our alliances and our joint operations thwarted his ambitions,” Kaine said. “Our adversaries are realizing the U.S. has great personnel. The U.S. has great defense platforms, but what the U.S. really has that we don’t have is alliances that have tested over the decades.”

The second half of the day, Kaine met in Hampton with VA Medical Center directors.

“We finished strong by visiting the new dialysis clinic that has opened up just in the last seven or eight months,” Kaine said. “It’s providing high-quality outpatient dialysis service for veterans who are dealing with diabetes and kidney issues.”

Healthcare leaders discussed the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, also known as the PACT Act. The act helps connect veterans with burn pit exposure to resources. More than 888,000 veterans and survivors across the U.S. are now receiving new disability benefits.

“That did a good thing of dramatically expanding the eligibility of certain veterans for coverage,” Kaine said, “but also, then, that creates more work. How is the VA dealing with that?”

The senator has been instrumental in addressing the long wait times for vets.

“The most common thing I hear is that the quality of care at the VA is very high, but sometimes it’s hard to get in the door [due to] waiting times,” Kaine said. “Some of that is the workforce. There is just a tremendous shortage of health care workforce in Hampton Roads, and not just in the VA, but in the private world as well.” 

Dr. Taquisa K. Simmons, executive director of the VA Medical Center in Hampton, previously told 10 On Your Side she is hopeful the new regional center in Chesapeake will work to address long wait times.

Kaine noted that the Chesapeake location will likely open in 2025 in the Western Branch area.

“More than half of the veterans who use the center come from south Hampton Roads, and having something that’s easier to get to for radiology or normal medical treatment is really important,” Kaine said. “This is one of the fastest growing regions in the country in terms of the veteran eligible population. I don’t think that’s going to change [since] the quality of life in Hampton Roads is positive.

“But when you have that higher percentage of veterans accessing care living in south Hampton Roads, you need more options for people, less time in the car, more time with your family or more time with your health care provider. That’s what we should be striving towards.”