In his first message to Defense Department personnel, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work vowed to support service members so they can continue to do their mission to the best of their abilities. “Together, we will keep our military equipped, trained, and ready to defend our country and our interests,” wrote work, according to a May 14 release. “We are and will remain a global power whose position in the world is underpinned by our ability to project global influence in concert with other elements of national power and our allies and partners overseas.” Works said DOD must make “wise budget decisions.” He also said he was committed to improving the acquisition process “to better manage the cost-effectiveness and ultimately maintain the dominance of our weapon systems.” Finally, DOD must balance today’s readiness in “order to project military power whenever and wherever needed with our ability to prevail against future threats and challenges.” He “challenged” all DOD personnel “to be great,” saying he is “proud to be on your team.”
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.
