Sending the F-22s to Korea to do air exercises along the Demilitarized Zone and contested coastlines would send a powerful message, but the F-22 Raptor is a political albatross.

There were a number of reasons last week to look up to the sky and wonder about the future of airpower. In a world in which the United States will have smaller ground and naval forces, we will likely become more dependent on land- and sea-based airpower to deter or defeat enemies.

The F-35 stakes could hardly be higher for the United States. Despite the Pentagon’s budget woes, it cannot walk away from the Lightning.

The raptor is the only plane that can meet the challenges of China and Russia's developing air defenses.

The 2012 Defense budget that Secretary Robert Gates unveiled last week calls for cuts of more than $178 billion--more than a quarter of today's Pentagon spending.

John McCain and Carl Levin's proposal to cut the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program would severely hinder American defense capabilities.

The decision to invest in such an airplane no doubt began well before Hu Jintao's rule and is a reflection of the ambitions that China's leaders-indeed, probably a majority of Chinese people-share.