In his testimony before Congress last week, Air Force Undersecretary Ron Sega acknowledged that the Air Force will be losing many experienced space professionals through retirement, saying that USAF must “focus on the basics of recruiting, training, and mentoring” to develop a balanced space workforce. He told the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee that the Fiscal 2007 defense budget contains “roughly twice” the amount of the 2006 request for the National Defense Education Program, which targets undergrad and grad students studying science, math, and engineering. He urged continued Congressional support for such activities.
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.
