Republican lawmakers have issued a public letter to U.S. military leadership following reports that the Pentagon is seeking to end the presence of dozens of fighter jets in Japan without creating a new permanent force to replace them.
According to Defense News, the Pentagon is planning to remove two squadrons of F-15C Eagle fighters that are currently stationed in Japan. The effort is intended to help modernize the military by phasing out old aircraft such as the F-15, which has been in service since 1976.
The vacancy left by the maneuver, however, will only be covered by rotational forces and not a permanent fighter presence, leaving the close U.S. ally in a tight spot amid ongoing tensions with communist China and North Korea….