The Congressional Research Service, which is supposed to help members of Congress understand the limitless arcana of American government, has issued an update on the B-21 Raider strategic bomber program. Although billions of dollars continue to pour into the project–one of the Air Force’s top 3 procurement priorities–since CRS’s last look, the research agency has nothing much new to say. Fundamental technical details remain unavailable. The vast program is still being managed through “nontraditional means” via a purposely miniaturized Air Force office. Special Access classification, long criticized as fostering mismanagement, still makes validating the proposed costs impossible. In other words, it’s still trust us, good fellas as far as Congressional oversight is concerned.
