Congress passed a measure to hold off on paying the nearly $23 million that Uzbekistan said the US owed for use of the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, but the Pentagon must not have gotten the memo. (Yes, this is the base known as K2 that we got kicked out of. (DR 08/30/05) The “delay the payment” legislation is part of a bill that lawmakers are still working. However, Pentagon officials say they paid the money last week.
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.