An Air Force crew from Dyess AFB, Tex., last week dropped some 80,000 leaflets over Afghanistan, targeting known Taliban-inhabited areas. The last such drop—30,000 leaflets—was part of Operation Achilles in March. The Dyess C-130 aircrew made the drop at the request of the Army. The leaflet has two messages, one on each side: one tells the reader that Afghan National Security Forces and International Security Assistance Forces are targeting the Helmand region to rid it of foreign Taliban; and the other explains that “the Taliban are commanded by foreigners who seek to destroy Afghanistan.”
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.