U.S. Won’t Purchase More B-2 Bombers

President Clinton sided with the Pentagon on Thursday and decided against buying more B-2 bombers despite the decision’s impact on 9,000 workers in politically important California.

While the decision, announced at a White House briefing, left the door open by including a request for a Pentagon air war study to be completed early next year, National Security Council staffer Robert Bell indicated the decision is all but final.

“The administration believes that no additional B-2s are required,” Bell told reporters. “The president concluded that the B-2 is a highly capable long-range and stealthy bomber but that additional B-2s would be too costly.”