The top U.S. military official in the Pacific region is opposed to the notion of selling the Pentagon’s prized F-22A Raptor to Japan, America’s closest ally in the area.
A new U.S. “capabilities assessment group” — composed of Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Office of the Secretary of Defense and industry officials — has launched a comprehensive review of Japan’s fighter requirements. That group will deliver a formal recommendation to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and eventually President Bush on which American-made war plane Washington should pitch to Tokyo....
