The Air Force expects to complete Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell training for the first two tiers of service personnel—”experts” like clergy, medics, attorneys; and “leaders”—in the next few months. So far 2,100 individuals have received the training, which is focused on respect and “maintaining Air Force standards” rather than changing individual belief systems, said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday. “We will certainly strive to move through the larger body of airmen as quickly as we can,” he said. They constitute the third tier. President Obama signed the repeal of the Clinton-era law banning homosexuals from openly serving in the military in December, but the ban remains in effect until senior defense leaders sign off on an implementation plan. Schwartz said other than a few “one offs,” which he declined to discuss publicly, the Air Force has not had any major problems so far. (See also Gates: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Manageable)
F-35 Deliveries Soared to New Record in 2025
Jan. 8, 2026
Lockheed Martin says it delivered 191 F-35 fighters in 2025—just ahead of the goal it set for itself at the beginning of the year as it works to clear a backlog of jets in storage.

