The Air Force has identified initial skill pairings—complementary jobs outside a primary field—for each officer career field as part of the service’s force development program. The goal, says Lt. Col. Harold Huguley, chief of force development at the Air Force Personnel Center, is to begin “development of officers early on to acquire those skills we’ll need 10 to 15 years down the road.” (Read our article on force development here.)
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.