During a recent cable TV interview program, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) gave Rumsfeld an opportunity to speak highly of the F/A-22, but the SECDEF demurred. Rumsfeld faint-praised the Raptor, calling it “a fine airplane.” He said money will dictate the size of the F/A-22 buy, and he noted that it had to compete with rivals such as the Joint Strike Fighter, which, of course, has a far different mission and far less capability than the F/A-22.
The Pentagon announced an $820 million aid package to Ukraine that includes the same advanced Norwegian air defense system used to protect the White House. Coupled with recently arrived multiple-launch rocket systems, the Defense Department said it expects rapid battlefield gains in the Donbas region. The aid package amounts to…