Who Will Own The Skies?

Mark Bowden profiles pilot Cesar Rodriguez and chews over the future of the F-22 and the US Air Force:

“What happens when we no longer own that advantage in the air?” [General] Tinsley asked me. “Are our enemies going to feel a little froggy and push the limits? Why haven’t we fought that many wars? If America hadn’t built the F?15, would it have been the same story? How much did our fleet of F?15s keep other countries at bay? If we had been stuck with the F?4 and someone had come along with a MiG?29, would they have stepped out and done some damage? We have to replace all the F?15s with F?22s.”

This is the position you would expect from an Air Force general, whose job was to make sure America continues its unquestioned ownership of the sky. One might just as easily argue that lack of such complete superiority will act as a healthy restraint on American military aggression. After all, the latest big war, in Iraq, was one we started. If we are more likely to bleed, perhaps we will be slower to fight.