Various news reports quote departing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as declaring that the Administration would create an Africa Command within a couple of months. He made the remark during an awards ceremony in which he praised Theresa Whelan, deputy assistant for African affairs, for her work on the implementation planning group.
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.