Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh assigned Maj. Gen. Thomas Masiello to command the Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, announced the Pentagon. Masiello has been serving since May 2011 as director of special programs in the Pentagon’s acquisition shop. He will replace Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who has led AFRL since May 2011.
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.