Arved Sandstrom wrote:
I buy that idea - that's pretty much what I meant. After all, all of the
amphibs already have Marine-only air, and they are designated as Marine
air - composite squadrons and MAWs. My point was, I don't really see why
Marines need to fly F/A-18's off supercarriers, if it's not dedicated to
supporting Marines? Let the Navy worry about CAP and deep strike and all
that good stuff; it's just not something the Marines need to be doing.

The reason is that the price tag on the F-35 keeps exploding and so the
Department of the Navy is shuffling the deck chairs around like mad
while their budget sinks.

Just look at it as the Navy delivering mostly empty carriers for
whatever aircraft the Marines happen to have left.

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.o...details_of.htm
“As the Navy continues to buy the F/A-18E/F and as the Navy and Marine
Corps start buying the JSF ... it seems that the Navy will not have the
money to continue to round out carrier battle groups with the right
number of squadrons and airplanes,” said Marine Corps Capt. Sean B.
Garick, the assistant operations officer for VFMA-224 at Marine Corps
Air Station in Beaufort, S.C.

-HJC