By saying that "The Marine Corps is slated to replace all F-4, RF-4, F/
A-18, A-6E, OA-4, A-4M and AV-8B aircraft with the F-35 in 2008" the
Author appears to be not very up-to-date - as we know some of the
birds mentined here in 2003 had been replaced for a decade or more.
Those procurement numbers and schedules were also changed several
times...

I understand the general idea: There would be no real need (apart from
putting them on the right shore if a need arises) to embark Marine
Hornet or Prowler squadrons on a carrier. Also, I believe Navy F/A-18C
or EA-6B units are not essential for Marine Air Groups. All this is a
result of both shortage of Navy squadrons and shortage of Marine
squadrons, resulting from overzealous budget cuts, ill-aimed
economizing, transitions pending, and tense deployment cycles.

However, there has always been a gap where a squadron of one of the
services was needed in the other, no matter if that was West Coast
Marine VMFA-314 and VMFA-323's presence in Navy's East Coast CVW-13,
or VA-15, VA-192 and VFA-132 deployments to Iwakuni in 1980s. Looks
like not a G.W. Bush era invention, it was quite widespread already in
the flamboyant Reagan administration times...

Best regards,
Jacek


On 24 Cze, 10:08, Henry J Cobb wrote:

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