The Active Duty 96th Air Refueling Squadron at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, inactivated as an associate unit to the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 203rd ARS in a ceremony Sept. 3, according to a release. The squadron stood up to augment KC-135 manning to meet increased tanker requirements in the Pacific region, forming an active association in 2010. Unit airmen took part in operations Inherent Resolve over Iraq and Syria among other operations, flying some 1,800 sorties over 6,500 flying hours, and providing more than 36 million pounds of fuel to US and partner-nation aircraft, officials stated.
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.
