ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, will be the keynote speaker for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Foundation Dinner.

The 12th annual NACDS Foundation dinner will be held Nov. 30 in New York.

"We are honored to have distinguished military leader Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the keynote speaker for this year’s NACDS Foundation Dinner," NACDS Foundation president Edith Rosato said in a statement. "His service to his country for 34 years demonstrates his career commitment to the safety of the American people. This year’s dinner attendees can look forward to hearing about Gen. McChrystal’s insights on leadership, as well as his life experiences both personally and on the battlefield."

The four-star general, who retired from the military in August, led American and global armed forces in Afghanistan and served as the leader of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). McChrystal graduated from West Point in 1976. He spent much of his career commanding special operations and airborne infantry units. During the Persian Gulf War, McChrystal served in a Joint Special Operations Task Force and later commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment.

In other news, NACDS on Monday said that it co-authored a letter with the National Community Pharmacists Association to thank Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) for his leadership and support for protecting beneficiary access to retail pharmacies under the Department of Defense’s TRICARE health care plan.

NACDS said the letter commended Lautenberg for offering a Sense of Congress amendment expressing the Senate’s support for beneficiary choice and his previous work to ensure that TRICARE beneficiaries don’t face increased cost-sharing for retail pharmacy services.

"We believe the choice of where to obtain prescription medications is best left to TRICARE beneficiaries," stated the letter from NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson and NCPA acting executive vice president and CEO Douglas Hoey.

A TRICARE co-payment freeze provision already passed the House of Representatives under the leadership of House Armed Service Committee chairman Ike Skelton (D., Mo.) and Ranking Member Howard McKeon (R., Calif.), which prohibited a pharmacy co-pay increase.

The Senate is expected to debate its version of the Defense Authorization bill after the November elections, NACDS reported.

"As the Defense authorization moves towards final enactment, we will be seeking language specifically prohibiting co-pay increases to best protect beneficiaries’ access to their retail pharmacies," the letter said.