Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, head of Air Force Space Command, described his new command as the “invisible force” and labeled 20th Air Force’s ICBM force as the President’s “biggest hammer,” on a recent visit to F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., home to the 90th Space Wing and 20th AF. He says the command’s challenge is two-fold: to be experts in the application of the in-the-background, but increasingly essential, space capabilities and to fathom ways to provide “ever greater support.” Chilton called the big hammer ICBM force “just as much or more relevant today … as we see other nations seek to develop nuclear weapons.”
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.