Based on a study that documented the waste and inefficiency caused by segregation in the Air Force, the Air Force announces that it must “eliminate segregation among its personnel by the unrestricted use of Negro personnel in free competition for any duty within the Air Force for which they may qualify.” It was the first service to announce a policy of racial integration—well before President Truman’s Executive Order on equal opportunity in July 1948.
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.
