The Washington Post, in a March 16 story, presented this gem of a quote from Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs: “Our spending today [on health care for the active, retired, and reserve US military] is greater than the entire Ministry of Defense budget in Germany.” The figure to which he refers is $38 billion. What, exactly, is the comparison supposed to signify? One could also say—because it’s true—that the Pentagon health care budget is only one third the amount Americans spend each year on booze ($116 billion). The question is: So what
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.
