The Pentagon can provide scholarships to students in science and math disciplines, courtesy of the 2006 defense authorization act, and hopes to do so under a program called Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship Program. (Web site here.) DOD officials just this week entertained more than 300 middle and high school students and staff members to an event honoring women in the military. The Air Force has been beating the bushes for the past few years, as well, attempting to attract new technical talent. Air Force Materiel Command, for instance, has something called a “Space Scholars Program.”
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.
