Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), incoming chair for the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters in a post-election conference call that the US military is losing senior captains and junior majors, who, he said, are “bailing out early.“ The losses appear to be mostly in the Army. Skelton signaled that he plans to focus some of his committee’s efforts on what he sees as a growing retention problem, one that has significant long-term impact.
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.
