Israel Matzav

The wrong move on F-22's

Air Force leaders have repeatedly testified they need 243 F-22s to maintain air superiority. The purchase of only 187 would leave the Air Force able to fly unchallenged in only one theater, not two. Led by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the Pentagon is budgeting on the assumption that future U.S. military operations will resemble those of today, i.e., they will be dominated by counterinsurgency and irregular warfare.

Oddly, Congress is making big cuts even before the Quadrennial Defense Review, which is designed to tell our leaders what equipment the military needs. But changing the composition of our military is something that requires a straightforward national debate.

Having a military capable of winning only one major conflict raises the question of whether the United States will become a declining military power. By not investing in forward-looking technologies and sufficient quantities of platforms, we seem headed down that road.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:50 AM