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Senate has confirmed Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke to be the Air National Guard’s next director, succeeding Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, who is retiring later this month. Senators voted in favor of Clark’s nomination on Jan 1, according to the Senate’s website. “I look forward to the opportunity to lead the best Air National Guard in our nation’s history,” said Clarke in a Jan. 2 release. He added, “The Air National Guard and the 106,000 men and women who make it work have served our nation and our communities with great distinction in combat and during numerous domestic crises.” President Obama last month tapped Clarke for the post. Clarke has been commander of the Continental US NORAD Region and 1st Air Force at Tyndall AFB, Fla., since August 2011. He was the Air Guard’s deputy director from May 2007 to June 2008. Wyatt has led the Air National Guard since February 2009. He began his Air Force career in January 1972.
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.