Photos: NPC Newsmaker with Sec. Robert Wilkie

Alan Kotok

February 05, 2020

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok National Press Club president Mike Freedman, right, presents Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie with a gift copy of Walter Cronkite's memoirs, in Freedman's office before Wilkie's news conference.

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie says Deputy Secretary James Byrne was dismissed because "he did not gel with the rest of the team," although Wilkie declined to elaborate further.

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie outlines the department's response to the spike in suicides among veterans.

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie describes advances in medical technologies at VA medical centers, including precision oncology and exoskeletons.

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok National Press Club president Mike Freedman asks an audience question about the department's handling of a reported assault against a Congressional staff member at a VA medical center in Washington, D.C.

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie answers an audience question about suicide rates among U.S. veterans.

Photo Credit: Alan Kotok National Press Club president Mike Freedman presents Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie with a commemorative gift coffee mug.

Following President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union Address, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie spoke at a National Press Club Newsmaker at February 5 to announce new initiatives designed to better serve America’s veterans and their families.