The Pentagon said May 10 that President Bush will nominate Vice Adm. Eric T. Olson, for a fourth star and to head US Special Operations Command, replacing Army Gen. Bryan Brown, who plans to retire. Olson currently serves as SOCOM deputy commander. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first naval officer to head the 20-year-old command. The Army has dominated leadership of the special ops combatant command, with one exception: Air Force Gen. Charles Holland commanded SOCOM from Oct. 27, 200 to Sept. 2, 2003.
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.