Lt. Gen. Stephen Wood, USAF’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, said that the Quadrennial Defense Review’s direction to develop a “five-fold increase” in long-range strike capabilities is related to timing rather than a specific number of platforms. Wood told reporters that USAF plans to sharply accelerate the timeline for fielding a new bomber-like capability, from 2037 to “within the 2020 timeframe.”
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3