Dennis
Blair &
Christopher Rodeman,
ProceedingsJapan's new National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) calls for more attention to areas such as space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Critical reaction to the NDPG in Japan, however, has centered around the decision to convert two Izumo-class helicopter destroyers into multirole aircraft carriers from which short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft can be operated. To that end, the NDPG also lays out a plan to purchase 42 Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL aircraft over the next decade.
