Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) declares that the Pentagon’s QDR “has become a budget-driven exercise, which limits its utility to Congress.” Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is leading a charge to separate what the Pentagon needs to address threats as opposed to what it can afford. He says, the “Committee Defense Review” he began last year, taken in conjunction with the QDR, will provide “a more complete picture of America’s national security needs.”
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.
