January 19, 2005

F/A-22 Raptor delivers safety that's priceless
By U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
(As appeared in The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

It's hard to follow The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's logic in declaring that the F/A-22 Raptor should be targeted for budget cuts ("Grounds for grounding," Editorial, Jan. 12).

You start out by saying correctly that the F/A-22 "may very well be the most highly advanced fighter in history," but in the next breath you call it "an ancient relic" that deserves to be tossed on the chopping block. Let me set the record straight: The F/A-22 Raptor is the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world and is the only plane in our arsenal that can maintain the air superiority our country desperately needs.

As a businessman, I know it's healthy to evaluate programs when money is tight. But this decision should be made by military leaders, not number crunchers, and it should be based on military strategy, not just the bottom line.

Sen. Johnny Isakson
Isakson is a Republican U.S. senator from Georgia