The Air Force has adopted a centralized approach toward managing its computer network operations, making the switch to a single commander on July 5. An Air Combat Command statement says that Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, new 8th Air Force commander, also holds the title Air Force Network Operations commander. Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, the Air Force’s Chief Information Officer, previewed the service’s plan during a May speech, in which he told a Capitol Hill audience that the Air Force was taking an incremental approach toward streamlining its network operations apparatus.
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.