Close to 100 Percent on NCO Retraining: Air Force Personnel Center officials say the 2006 non-commissioned officer retraining program achieved 95 percent of its goal, making it the “most successful” effort to date. One thing that spurred NCOs to retrain into shortage career fields was the new Air Force policy that vulnerable individuals either retrain or get out. Some 36 NCOs who did not apply for retraining as requested now must separate from the service. Officials note that two of the 36 had been selected for promotion to technical sergeant but will not be able to pin on that rank.
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.