Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, commander of US Transportation Command, told coalition forces at Bagram AB, Afghanistan, last week that the kind of fight going on in Operation Enduring Freedom “cannot be effectively prosecuted from main operating bases.” Schwartz explained that such a “distributed fight” requires airlift, noting that it’s being provided from bases in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey, as well as Europe and the US. Whether the cargo is troops, food, water, ammunition, or medical evacuees, said Schwartz, “My impression is that the team is effectively supporting the folks that need it—the shooters.”
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.
