Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle 
assumed command of 13th Air Force Wednesday during a change-of-command ceremony at its headquarters at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces boss, presided over the ceremony. “Gen. Carlisle’s breadth and depth of experience and leadership abilities are exactly the reason we have brought him to command 13th Air Force,” said North. Carlisle, who had been the Air Force’s legislative liaison director since November 2007, now oversees the component numbered air force that supports US Pacific Command in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding the Korean theater. He replaces Lt. Gen. Loyd Utterback, who is retiring from the Air Force, effective Nov. 1, after more than 33 years of service. Carlisle was promoted to lieutenant general by North on Sept. 1. (Hickam report by Capt. Genieve David)
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.
