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U.S. commits to steady presence in Okinawa as F-15 jets retired

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Bringing in an F-22 Raptor squadron on rotation sounds like a good idea.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Maybe it is time to shoulder the burden of their self defense and use the money they pay the mercenary USA for their abiliity to fund their own Military force and not rely on Mercenary countries like the USA.

Their are plenty of youth in Japan that need to partiipate and a 4 year mandatory conscription with an educational program after ther time in service.

The USA will sell them all the weapons they need, no need toAmerican blood on or in Japan anymore.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

The Japanese can’t be trusted to have their own military.

-12 ( +5 / -17 )

David BrentToday  07:45 pm JST

The Japanese can’t be trusted to have their own military.

Newsflash! The United States forced Japan to create the JSDF in 1950.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

The deployment will be "TEMPORARY" it also means those F-15's will be replaced by more advanced fighters on rotational deployments!!!

The U.S. Air Force said last week that the deployment of the advanced fighters will be temporary and the Defense Department has "not made a decision on the long-term solution." Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder emphasized during a press conference the same day that the U.S. military presence at the Kadena base will be maintained through "rotational deployments" that will include "advanced fourth-generation and fifth-generation aircraft to backfill" the F-15s as they depart. "A" is for Apple read between the lines I hope I won't be sensor for writing that JT! as off subject!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Wowsers. I was there when there were F-4 Phantoms and the F-15 was just being introduced. This makes me feel old. If the F-15 replacements will be there on rotation, it might indicate that the units will only be in Okinawa on a temporary basis, and fewer families will be in Okinawa with the Air Force, lessening the number of off-base housing units needed and reducing the American footprint around Kadena. Would that be good, or bad, for Okinawa City and the surrounding area?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Bringing in an F-22 Raptor squadron on rotation sounds like a good idea.

The F-22 is an old airplane now. Hard to believe but true. It's 6th gen replacement, called NGAD for now, is already prototyped and about to enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The Japanese can’t be trusted to have their own military.

How are you going with the play doh, any problem??..

1 ( +2 / -1 )

the four Republican lawmakers expressed fears over "a tangible reduction in American forward combat power in the Indo-Pacific."

If Marco Rubio is involved, there has to be no small amount of bad faith in their "concern."

Simple question: Would you rather enter into a war with China with F-15s, or any one of the 4th or 5th-generation fighters that will clearly replace them? Right.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

What a racket. US wants to corner and isolate China so it remains the apex predator dominating the world and it keeps saying 'we are here to defend Japan.'

And the Japanese keep paying the big bucks to its "ally."

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

What's all fuss about the announcement that Kadena-based F-15s will phase out in the next two years, starting today? Does it mean the U.S. Air Force will withdraw from Okinawa completely as some U.S. lawmakers, including former U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty, worry? If that is the case, it'll be a welcome development for Okinawa.

The Air Force may have found a fatal defect in the aircraft's mechanical system or that it is no match for China's more advanced stealth-facilitated aircraft.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The Air Force may have found a fatal defect in the aircraft's mechanical system or that it is no match for China's more advanced stealth-facilitated aircraft.

The USAF's F-15Cs are mostly 30-40 year old airplanes. They're close to retirement. There are newer and better equipped F-15s like the F-15E, new production semi-stealthy F-15SEs or the F-22 that can replace them until NGAD reaches IOC.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe, it's time to make renewal or overhaul of the whole array of the aircraft. But you need a wherewithal for that.

So, maybe, this is the Air Force's tactics vis-a-vis the U.S. Congress.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe, it's time to make renewal or overhaul of the whole array of the aircraft.

Which is in fact underway already as the F-35 hits full rate production and NGAD finishes its development to replace the F-22 and most of the F-15s. The B-1s and eventually the B-2s will soon be replaced by the new B-21 Raider which is undergoing ground tests now. The remaining decision is whether to build new F-16s or replace it with something completely new. It is still in production and the most recent versions, while not stealthy enough for missions inside well defended airspace (mostly meaning defended by the best ground based air defense systems) they still make a great air defense fighter for protecting friendly airspace by dint of a great radar, good payload and legendary agility. A bonus is they are comparatively inexpensive to buy and likewise inexpensive to fly compared to other fighters out there.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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