President Obama has tapped Gen. William Fraser, Air Combat Command boss since September 2009, to be the next commander of US Transportation Command at Scott AFB, Ill. Fraser would replace Gen. Duncan McNabb, who is retiring after leading TRANSCOM since September 2008 and after having served more than 37 years in uniform. Fraser is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flight hours in bombers, tankers, trainers, and the C-21 Lear jet. The Air Force has not announced McNabb’s retirement date yet.
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.