Pollack offered as his “last option,” should earlier “grand bargain” and “carrot and stick” approaches fail, a direct airstrike. In his words: “Finally, and only as part of a new containment of Iran, the United States should look hard at the possibility of waging a targeted air campaign intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities and intended to set back the entire program.” That should come, he says, only after US policy-makers determine Iran is “truly nefarious.” Pollack wants the President to have that “arrow in his quiver,” but he believes diplomacy and sanctions will suffice.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.