Luxury vs. reality

Luxury vs. reality

Chicago Tribune: In a world without budget constraints, the F-22 fighter jet would be a nice weapon to have. It’s swift, stealthy and superior to anything a potential enemy can throw at us in aerial combat.

But ours is not a world without budget constraints. In a time of intense fiscal pressures, Washington has to give priority to defense systems that are vital, and the F-22 is not one of them. Taxpayers should be pleased that the Senate went along with President Barack Obama and deleted funding for more of these aircraft.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates prefers to stop production at 187 planes and rely more on the newer, cheaper and more versatile F-35. Last week, he told the Economic Club of Chicago that the United States can’t afford to lavish funds on improbable scenarios while neglecting more likely ones.

Other nations, he said, have learned that “it is ill-advised, if not suicidal, to fight a conventional war head-to-head against the United States.” So we are more likely to face “asymmetric” threats from enemies using unconventional tactics from roadside bombs to cyber attacks.

A great plane, but ...

The F-22, true, surpasses the F-35 in its ability to defeat a technologically advanced enemy in old-fashioned dogfights. Fortunately, those aren’t likely to happen, simply because no foreign military can hope to challenge our air superiority. Defense analyst Cindy Williams of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says, “I would be surprised if Russia or China could match the F-35 as soon as 25 years from now.”

But the administration encountered strong resistance on Capitol Hill, where the F-22 has been popular for reasons having nothing to do with national security. It has subcontractors in 44 states — giving innumerable members of Congress an incentive to keep the dollars coming. So even though the administration won this vote, we would be surprised if it’s the last word.

Even in a recession, politicians should make weapons decisions with an eye to saving lives rather than preserving jobs. The military has more pressing demands, such as fighting counterinsurgency wars, taking out terrorists and averting the danger of weapons of mass destruction.

Those obligations are necessities. More F-22s are not.