Defending the F-22

The purpose of this paper is to establish the critical need for the continued development and introduction of the F-22 Raptor as the air superiority fighter for the joint forces of the United States military as they enter the 21st century. Air superiority is the first and primary mission for the air component commander where soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are involved in combat. Without it, our forces will be subject to potentially devastating attacks from the air, limiting their ability to attack the enemy at a place and time of their choosing and leaving them vulnerable in their rear echelons. This paper will review military risk, joint and service doctrine, and highlight the emerging threat to our capability to provide air superiority for the joint force commander. It will then define the characteristics, roles, and missions of the F-22 and support its development and introduction into service with a brief comparison to other service options.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.