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F-15EX Eagle IIs to be based at Kadena AB

STARS AND STRIPES • December 19, 2023

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – The Air Force is considering a plan to permanently replace its aging fleet of F-15 Eagle fighters on Okinawa with a smaller number of more advanced aircraft, a Japanese news magazine reported recently.

The Air Force informed lawmakers on Capitol Hill that it plans to permanently deploy 36 F-15EX Eagle II fighters at Kadena Air Base to replace the 48 F-15C/Ds previously stationed there, Nikkei Asia reported Monday, citing unnamed congressional sources briefed on the plan.

The multi-role F-15EX fighters, derived from the F-15E Strike Eagle, could be bolstered by unmanned drones.

Some lawmakers and scholars expressed concerns about the message a smaller permanent fighter presence would send to allies and potential adversaries in the region, the news magazine reported.

“I support a permanent basing of F-15EX aircraft at Kadena but am concerned about the Air Force’s initial plan to station only 36 new aircraft, replacing the 48 divested ones,” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., told the outlet. Wittman, vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said he wants to see an “operational analysis” that supports the decision, Nikkei said.

A representative for Wittman did not return calls and emails Monday from Stars and Stripes.

Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Nikkei that the decrease will “raise some eyebrows.”

The Air Force is halfway through a two-year plan to replace Kadena’s 48 F-15C/D fighters of the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons with rotating squadrons of more modern aircraft, including the fifth-generation F-35A and F-15E Strike Eagles.

Some F-15s from Kadena went to Air National Guard units in the United States or to the Air Force boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

The upgrade comes as tensions increase between the U.S. and China, a regional power the Pentagon has labeled an aggressive presence in the East and South China Seas and a global “pacing challenge,” according to the 2022 National Defense Strategy.

A spokeswoman for the Air Force declined to discuss the permanent deployment of fighters to Kadena.

“We continue to support the region with rotational fighters,” spokeswoman Ann Stefanek wrote by email Monday.

Jeffrey Hornung, a senior political scientist at Rand Corp., said having fewer fighters in one place is in line with the Air Force’s dispersal doctrine, agile combat employment. Agile combat employment calls for operations to shift from centralized air hubs to a network of smaller, dispersed sites or cluster bases.

Deploying fewer aircraft “is perhaps just them thinking, ‘OK, we will have access someplace in the region, whether that be Japan, Philippines, wherever,’” he told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday. “You don’t want to put everything back into Kadena.”

Toshiyuki Shikata, a former lieutenant general in the Ground Self-Defense Force, agreed.

“It is better to have improved aircraft than keeping the aircraft with inferior quality in larger quantity,” Shikata said by phone Tuesday. “I believe the replacement will take place in a way that keeps deterrence.”

Permanently deploying Eagle IIs, even in fewer numbers, would show a U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan, Junjiro Shida, an associate professor of international politics at Meio University on Okinawa, said by phone Tuesday.

“Japan and the U.S. are developing a structure to jointly operate,” he said.

The F-15EX, made by Boeing, arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in March 2021. A two-seat aircraft operable by a single pilot, it comes with increased payload capacity and advanced avionics. It can carry hypersonic weapons designed to combat future near-peer adversaries.

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Kadena Eagles returning CONUS

U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles assigned to the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons await clearance for their last take-off from Kadena Air Base, Japan, Dec. 1, 2022. As a part of its modernization plan, the 18th Wing is retiring its aging fleet of F-15C/D Eagles that have been in service for more than four decades. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
A U.S. Air Force pilot assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron taxis down the flightline in an F-15C Eagle for the final time at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Dec. 1, 2022. The departure of the first batch of retiring Eagles is a necessary step in ensuring Team Kadena remains postured to defend Japan and maintain regional stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
A U.S. Air Force pilot assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron taxis down the flightline in an F-15C Eagle for the final time at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Dec. 1, 2022. The departure of the first batch of retiring Eagles is a necessary step in ensuring Team Kadena remains postured to defend Japan and maintain regional stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
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Kadena Night Ops

An F-15C Eagle assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron is parked on the flightline for maintenance at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 23, 2022. Kadena received its first F-15 C’s in 1979. Since then, the tactical fighter has provided unmatched air superiority for the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron is parked on the flightline at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 29, 2022. Kadena received its first F-15 C’s in 1979. Since then, the tactical fighter has provided unmatched air superiority for the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron are parked on the flightline at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 29, 2022. Since 1979, the F-15 Eagle has ensured air superiority for the U.S. and its allies across the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron are parked on the flightline at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 29, 2022. Kadena received its first F-15 C’s in 1979. The 67th FS was the first squadron to become fully operational with the Eagle within the Pacific Air Forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron are parked on the flightline at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 30, 2022. The Eagle’s air superiority was achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)
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Brig. Gen David Eaglin visiting Exercise Keen Sword 23

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. David Eaglin, 18th Wing commander, greets Airman 1st Class Catherine McManamon, 372nd Training Squadron crew chief, at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 17, 2022. McManamon launched Eaglin in support of Exercise Keen Sword 23. Exercises like Keen Sword allow Japan Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military forces to work together across a variety of areas to enhance interoperability and readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexis Redin)
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. David Eaglin, 18th Wing commander, inspects an F-15C Eagle prior to his flight at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 17, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexis Redin)
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. David Eaglin, 18th wing commander, smiles as he performs pre-flight checks on an F-15C Eagle at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 17, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexis Redin)
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The 44th & 67th Fighter Squadron arrive at Tsuiki Air Base

A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan lands at Japan Air Self-Defense Force Tsuiki Air Base, Fukuoka, Japan as part of the aviation training relocation program March 17, 2022. ATR is a result of the May 2006 United States-Japan roadmap for realignment implementation, a bilateral program aimed at increasing operational readiness and improving interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)
A U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan is positioned at Japan Air Self-Defense Force Tsuiki Air Base, Fukuoka, Japan as part of the aviation training relocation program Nov. 8, 2022. ATR is a result of the May 2006 United States-Japan roadmap for realignment implementation, a bilateral program aimed at increasing operational readiness and improving interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sebastian Romawac)
U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan are positioned at Japan Air Self-Defense Force Tsuiki Air Base, Fukuoka, Japan as part of the aviation training relocation program Nov. 8, 2022. ATR is a result of the May 2006 United States-Japan roadmap for realignment implementation, a bilateral program aimed at increasing operational readiness and improving interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sebastian Romawac)