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.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.