There are 36 F-22s at Langley AFB, Va., already, with two more joining the 1st Fighter Wing every month. The wing will be fully equipped in 2007, after which Elmendorf AFB, Alaska will start getting its own Raptors. Lt. Col. Dirk Smith, commander of the 94th Fighter Squadron, confirmed that Elmendorf-bound Raptors, their pilots, and maintainers are starting out at Langley, where, over a few months, they learn how to run an operational F-22 unit, then will move on to Alaska. Smith said that he expects to see the same process repeated for Holloman AFB, N.M. and Hickam AFB, Hawaii, which are the next two bases to receive F-22s.
As the Pentagon increasingly pivots its focus to strategic competition with China, the U.S. will look to expand its partnership with South Korea to increase security across the entire Indo-Pacific region, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Dec. 2 during a visit to the northeastern Asian nation.