Responding to a reporter who asked whether the Air Force was gambling that Congress would add more C-17 airlifters, Lt. Gen. Stephen Wood insisted that Air Force leaders ”don’t play politics.” He maintained that gambling isn’t a healthy way to plan a force. He added that the idea hasn’t come up, even once.
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…