Has Kazakhstan—the biggest and most powerful of those ‘Stan countries—come back to our side? Yes. And no. Its foreign minister told Washington Times reporters that his country would continue to support US operations in Central Asia. That’s good, the US needs infrastructure support and other kinds of help in Central Asia. Still, he stated unequivocally that China, the new 800-pound gorilla in the area, has everyone’s attention. China is the main reason that US ties with Central Asia nations—including Kazakhstan—have cooled recently.
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.
