The head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner (R-Va.), and a chief Air Force critic, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), still are stalling the confirmation of former acting Air Force Secretary Michael Domniguez to be Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel. The issue is the new C-130J transport. About two weeks ago at the Dominguez confirmation hearing, McCain said the Air Force had not fully responded to Capitol Hill concerns about the C-130J even though the service, at Congressional direction, has begun to shift the J model to a standard military contract from a commercial one. On Feb. 28, Warner told reporters that Air Force leaders needed to meet with lawmakers to clear the air.
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.
