The Air Force’s top uniformed officer told House appropriators last week in a closed door session that lawmakers—or anyone else—should not look to the Air Force budget to pay for Army enhancements. Government Executive obtained a copy of Gen. Michael Moseley’s opening remarks, in which he said, “Those who argue for shortchanging the Air Force to finance a national ground forces ‘reset’ would, quite literally, risk the lives of soldiers and marines—not to mention sailors, Coast Guardsmen, and airmen.” He went on to say that USAF is under “significant risk” in future force structure and readiness. Moseley called recapitalization of the Air Force “urgent,” not “discretionary.” The defense panel of the House Appropriations Committee held closed sessions to discuss readiness issues.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
