The Air National Guard expects to have at its 60th birthday celebration this fall a few of a group whose numbers are diminishing more quickly now—the original airmen who returned from World War II to form Air Guard units in their respective states. TSgt. Mike Smith with the National Guard Bureau reports reminiscences from some of these airmen, including 90-year-old retired TSgt. Harry Emily of the Colorado Air Guard.
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.