Over at The Daily Standard, Dan Blumenthal makes some interesting and important points regarding the sale of the super advanced F-22 Raptor to the Japanese Self Defense Force. From an economic standpoint, it's win-win. Lockheed employs over 3300 personnel at their F-22 plants in Georgia and Texas, jobs that will mostly disappear once that last F-22 rolls off the assembly line. Congress, simply by signing over the technology to a trusted ally, can protect every one of those jobs -and perhaps create new ones- on Japan's dime.
I'd even take it a step further, and offer the F-22 to Australia as well. Both nations have clamored for the jet as a replacement to the F-4 Phantom and F/A-18 Super Hornet, respectively, and both have a common interest in containing a rapidly mobilizing China. Furthermore, any additional Raptors that we can sell to our allies, the cheaper the jet becomes for domestic purchase, as assembly line costs are inversely proportional to the number of jets Lockheed can push through its factories.
In a time of economic crisis, we can ill afford ignoring solutions which cost the US taxpayer nothing and indeed save the government money. That beats the Detroit auto bailout any day of the week.
--John Noonan
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