UPDATE! Elements of Power Blog didn't name his source. A 1.5 second Google search revealed it to be Breaking Defense...why would he not reveal it? Unknown. They're big boys and can take the heat from any statement they make. Perhaps its because they have standing in the defense media community and are diverting from the PERCEIVED direction of common thinking. Regardless, this issue will soon be front and center for Congress, the President and the Pentagon. There is no appetite for increased defense spending without trade-offs. The days of the F-35 being a protected program are over.
via Elements of Power Blog.
Where did the idea that the “Navy” has been less than enthusiastic about the F-35C come from? I think I know, and can trace it back two or so years to a single statement made by the incoming CNO in an article for the USNI ‘Proceedings’. That single article gave such hope to the anti-JSF crowd that it gained far more audience and credence that it would have ever otherwise received, certainly more than it ever deserved.Go to Elements of Power's house to read the entire thing.
Today, with the successful-to-date F-35 sea trials of the CF-3 and CF-5 aircraft operating off the USS Nimitz these past two weeks, the story has become one of a ‘surprising’ reversal of opinion (or beginnings thereof) by the Navy—at least as far as the media would lead us to believe.
I submit, that to the contrary it can be shown that what Navy enthusiasm there is for the F-35C is probably pretty much what it has always been, with perhaps a few more opinions among Wizened within the competing NAVAIR tribes lately changed for the better.
The life cycle of the whole ‘Navy chill to the F-35’ meme can be tracked easily—all the way back to its origins. The first FIVE citations/quotes are from the same publication taken over time. I do not mention the publication’s name for a couple of reasons. One, it doesn't matter. The media followed pretty much the same path getting here no matter what the sponsor. Two, I am partial to the reporting at the source and do not want to unfairly highlight this one little misadventure among a larger body of greater work. [I've numbered the steps involved in developing the meme to make it easier to discuss and reference if needed]
He's as wrong as three left feet. I don't know when Elements of Power stopped looking at reality and suddenly became a slave to this program but its extremely frustrating to see so much potential wasted on propping up a failed program.
But back to reality and not EoP's fantasy. This is where the meme that the Navy wanted on off ramp from the F-35 came from...via Politico...
OSD TOLD THE NAVY: YOU CAN’T TAKE A ‘BREAK’ FROM THE F-35C: According to a congressional source, in its 2015 budget proposal, the Navy asked to take a three-year “break” from its production of the F-35C, its variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. Concerned this was a first step toward walking away from the program permanently, OSD told the Navy: no way.Yeah. That's right.
It’s an open secret that the Navy would prefer to invest more in its F-18 fighters rather than buy the F-35C. But if the Navy pulled out of the program, the unit cost — already under scrutiny — would go up for the Air Force and the Marine Corps.
A 2.5 second Google search led me to the smoking gun that EoP ignored, didn't find or chose not to reveal to his readers.
The meme is real The Navy wants out of the program and the real fight for this program will happen in Congress, not the Pentagon.
Expect real Congressional oversight of this project and a frank discussion about the need for ships (including amphibs), subs and armored vehicles over the F-35 in the near future.
EoP was wrong...he was so wrong...
