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PacNet #47A – “The F-22 and the Japan-U.S. alliance” – A Response to Weston Konishi and Robert Dujarric

I enjoyed reading the commentary by Weston Konishi and Robert Dujarric and broadly agree with the thrust of their argument. However, in my view this commentary perpetuates some misleading assumptions about the relative merits of the F-22 and F-35 and, in consequence, may encourage some of our Japanese friends to strive for air capabilities that are both ageing rapidly and arguably unsuitable for their needs.