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Whither the Raptor?
By James S. Robbins March 2, 2010Region: North America
Topics: Emerging Threats, National Preparedness
Mark Helprin writes a convincing defense of the F-22 Raptor in the February 21 Wall Street Journal Cancelling the F-22 program, he writes, “is yet another act in the tragedy of a nation that, bankrupting itself, embracing moral decline, and apologizing to its enemies, is losing the will to prevail.”
The demise of the F-22 program is illustrative of the shift away from conventional capabilities in favor of means to cope with lesser, unconventional challenges such as terrorism and contingency operations. In this view, the U.S. is over-muscled in the conventional arena, in which conflict is less likely, and lacking capabilities in areas in which conflict is ongoing. Mr. Helprin points to the Air Force’s 2009 posture statement that relates Defense Department guidance to “eliminate excessive overmatch in [the U.S.] tactical fighter force,” which presumably is what our adversaries would like to see happen too.
F-22 critics say that the system is not needed, but they are confusing cause and effect. U.S. overmatch in any conventional system has a substantial deterrent effect. Countries contemplating investing resources to challenge American preeminence would probably not bother if they thought they were wasting their time. Eliminating a margin of superiority sends the message to potential peer competitors, such as Russia or China, that perhaps they could match the United States with a little extra effort. In addition, it tells regional troublemakers such as Venezuela, North Korea and Iran that America is losing its will to maintain conventional military dominance, encouraging them to find new ways to pursue their destabilizing goals. The bottom line is that the F-22 is the type of system that it is much better to have and not need than to need and not have. Voluntarily “eliminating excessive overmatch” is a good way to invite global bullies to start picking fights that will be that much harder to win.
