Asked at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week on the proposed Fiscal 2011 Air Force budget whether the service is on track to fulfill requirements under the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, signed into law last May, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley replied, “We’re making good progress.” Donley emphasized that the service has added nine program executive officers to its acquisition force “to reduce the span of control and give these senior officers more time to spend on fewer numbers of programs.” He also noted that USAF increased its acquisition force by 700 last year and planned to add “several thousands” over the next five years.
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.