If all goes well during site inspection this month at a Japanese air base northeast of Tokyo, the US and Japan may agree to install a radar system there for a joint missile defense effort. The missile defense system deployment is part of the recent military realignment agreements between the two countries. (DR 11/01/05)
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.