During a stop at Manas Air Base, Rice spoke to airmen of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing and French and Spanish troops, thanking them for the way they “work together as a coalition—the way it should be.” Rice noted that the US has “strong allies in this fight,” which she said “is not an American fight but rather a fight of free peoples.” Her remarks struck home with SSgt. Sarah Byron-Smith, a 376th medic, who said, “I felt as though she, even at her level of power, had the right sight picture and knew what we were here to do.”
The nominee to become the next head of U.S. Strategic Command, Vice Adm. Richard Correll, endorsed the production of more than 100 B-21 bombers, echoing his predecessor Gen. Anthony Cotton's view.
