The Icemen of the Eielson AFB, Alaska, and airmen and soldiers at Balad AB, Iraq, held memorials for MSgt. Brad A. Clemmons, who was killed Aug. 21 when his convoy vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on the way to Taji, Iraq. Clemmons, who was an explosive ordnance disposal craftsman from the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron at Eielson, had deployed to Balad, where he served as a weapons intelligence flight team leader. The Air Force posthumously awarded Clemmons a Bronze Star. (Read more here from Eielson and here from Balad.)
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.
