Commentary in East Coast and Middle America newspapers show that some still don’t understand the need for the F-22. On Tuesday, an editorial in the New York Times used the recent grounding of the F-15 fleet to criticize its replacement, the F-22A Raptor, which it terms “both extremely expensive and out-of-date.” And, a report in The Kansas City Star says the reason for the personnel cuts are so the Air Force can “free up money to buy more planes,” specifically the F-22. We believe both articles miss the big picture, which is that the defense budget is too small—read Editor in Chief Robert Dudney’s “The ‘Affordability’ Hustle.”
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
