An operational requirements document spelling out the specific capabilities desired in the future long-range-strike bomber had not been nailed down by early December, according to Lt. Gen. Chris Miller, USAF’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs. “That’s still being worked,” said Miller, suggesting that more than a year after then Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave the program a go-ahead, the specific missions and technologies in the airplane remain in debate. However, that means there’s still time to adjust the level of technology needed in the LRS-B if the loss to Iran of a stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel drone actually compromised critical science. The Air Force said, however, it would not have to ratchet up the bomber’s stealth capabilities (see above). Other than to restate that the service still plans to “deliver initial capability in the mid 2020s” with the LRS-B, Maj. Chad Steffey, a USAF spokesman, declined to offer new information, saying details “are and will remain classified.” (See also Bomber Puzzle Pieces.)
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
