The Bush White House has tapped Dorrance Smith, a former media advisor to the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and an ABC News producer, to be the Pentagon’s chief spokesman. Smith would take over for acting head of Public Affairs Lawrence DiRita. DiRita, who took over the post from Victoria Clarke, had been nominated for the job, but he withdrew his name when consideration lapsed on Capitol Hill. According to DiRita’s office, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has not named a new posting for DiRita.
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.
