Despite grave
concerns being expressed about impending budget cuts, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz urged attendees at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference at National Harbor, Md., near Washington, D.C., not to be too downbeat. “This is not a time to despair,” he said at Wednesday’s Four-Star Forum. “We’re still going to be a $100 billion Air Force and we can do a hell of a lot with that,” declared Schwartz, who has served as USAF’s top uniformed official since August 2008.
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.
