Gen. Paul V. Hester, head of Pacific Air Forces, said US Forces Japan is working with the Japanese government on a plan to acquire more ballistic-missiles to defend against the North Korean threat, reports Stars and Stripes. Hester said during a Pacific bases tour that the US has a “variety of schematics” for missile defense, adding that America has defensive weapons it can place within the US and within other countries. “Right now, Japan is looking at this and deciding how much they want to invest in it,” said Hester.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.