Kyrgyzstan is entertaining (or not) US officials who have come to haggle over the Kyrgyz ultimatum—pay more for the use of Manas Air Base or get out. Agence France Presse news service reports that American negotiators were to arrive earlier this week to discuss the proposed hundred-fold increase in rent, which Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told his fellow citizens via national radio is not a matter for “haggling as though we were in a bazaar.”
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.