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dm. Eric Olson became the first Navy SEAL to wear four stars and to take command of US Special Operations Command in a ceremony Monday at the command’s headquarters in Tampa, Fla. Olson, who had served as SOCOM deputy commander, received Senate confirmation on June 28. As we reported when Olson was nominated, the Army has dominated leadership of the command, with one exception: Air Force Gen. Charles Holland led SOCOM from in 2000-03. Olson replaces Army Gen. Bryan Brown who plans to retire. In remarks at the ceremony, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said of Olson that he is a “true warrior and legend in this [special ops] community” and customarily gives “honest opinions and recommendations—with the bark off, and straight from the shoulder.”
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.
