The 12 F-22 Raptors deployed from Langley AFB, Va., to Kadena AB, Japan, on the island of Okinawa, for the new stealth fighter’s first overseas excursion will be leaving Okinawa today, according to various news reports. A minor software glitch delayed the fighter deployment for a few days in February, but all 12 arrived at Kadena in mid-February for training exercises with Japanese forces.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…