Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) released a statement commending the Pentagon for its plan to construct 191 new family housing units at Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Knoster and to make improvements to barracks at Ft. Leonard Wood. For the Whiteman project, Skelton, who heads the House Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon would “dedicate an additional $37.5 million to build 191 new housing units and demolish 200 old housing units.” That is on top of a previously appropriated $74.6 million for Whiteman’s new housing project, he added. Skelton declared, “It has long been my goal to make Whiteman Air Force Base and Ft. Leonard Wood the premier military installations in the United States.”
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.
