US Joint Forces Command has joined forces with Lockheed Martin to pursue the ideal future joint command—resplendent in global information capabilities. The collaboration is a three-year R&D effort to determine the nature of the joint task force of the future and how a future commander might exercise command and control. A USAF officer, Lt. Col. Dewey Parker, is JFCOM’s principal investigator assigned to the effort. What does Lockheed get out of it? They get access to JFCOM warfighting subject matter experts and results from the collaborative work.
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.