"No doubt, our nuclear triad is the silent foundation of our entire deterrent effect, and that's why this budget fully funds all three legs of the triad and makes sure we're leaning forward and ensuring we have the most capable nuclear deterrent possible," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during Senate Appropriations Committee testimony on funding levels for fiscal year 2026.

June 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of B-1B Lancer at Dyess AFB. The multi-mission B-1, carrying the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force, is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, rapidly delivering massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, on demand.

In a demonstration of enhanced maritime lethality, the Air Force tested a new, more versatile variant of the QUICKSINK maritime weapon, increasing aircraft lethality by expanding its targeting reach. QUICKSINK is a low-cost method for neutralizing surface vessels using a modified, air-delivered munition. A 500-pound variant of the anti-ship weapon was delivered by a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber during a test at the Eglin Air Force Base Gulf Test Range. This innovative capability provides a rapid response to maritime threats across vast ocean expanses, significantly bolstering the U.S. Air Force's counter-maritime deterrence and operations. DVIDS link: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/499608/air-force-demonstrates-low-cost-maritime-defense-capability-with-quicksink

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced May 19, 2025, at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, that the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has completed the manufacture of the first B61-13 gravity bomb, the latest modification to the B61 family of nuclear weapons. The first unit was assembled almost a year before the original target date and less than two years after the program was first announced, making the B61-13 one of the most rapidly developed and fielded weapons since the Cold War.

Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, activated Sentinel Site Activation Task Force (SATAF) Detachment 12 during a ceremony here, May 21, 2025. The event marked a crucial step in preparing the base’s infrastructure to support the establishment of the next-generation LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system, which will replace the LGM-35A Minuteman III ICBM system currently stationed across the continental United States.

Airmen assigned to the 22nd, 92nd, 141st Air Refueling Wings demonstrated rapid global mobility and nuclear readiness during a Nuclear Staff Assistant Visit exercise held May 18-22 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. The worldwide reach and strategic capabilities of U.S. Strategic Command's long-range bomber force relies on timely global air refueling support and its ability to be delivered under high-stakes conditions.

Air Force Global Strike Command recently unveiled the first-ever demonstration tri-bomber/fighter formation during the Hyundai Air and Sea Show over Miami Beach, Florida.

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft assigned to Bomber Task Force Europe executed mission MIGHTY RHINO on May 23, integrating with African partner forces in Morocco.