F-35 News. Is the Pentagon moving toward more EA-18's?

via Reuters.

Greenert told the committee the Navy had enough EA-18G electronic attack jets after Congress funded 15 more of the planes in fiscal 2015, but he said a Pentagon-wide study could result in possible additional sales to other military services.

I placed this portion first because its the most "interesting" part of the story.  As usual the reporter buried the lead and this was the last paragraph.  Long story short....the operative words are "additional sales to other military services".

Does that mean that the USMC or USAF could end up with EA-18G's to assist the US Navy in the electronic attack mission?

Thats a BOMBSHELL!

We've been told over and over again that the F-35 would be able to do electronic attack but obviously the Navy doesn't agree and they're pushing for assistance in the mission.

This is the other piece of relevant news from the article (read it all though)...

"It's still very much on the fence," said one defense official when asked about the likelihood of continued orders for the popular Boeing warplanes.
Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert told reporters after a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense that the Navy was weighing "a whole host" of items for the wish lists that help guide lawmakers as they decide whether to add items to the Pentagon's base budget.
He said the Navy faced possible fighter jet shortfalls on its aircraft carriers next decade when most older model F/A-18s will be retired but the Navy will still be buying newer F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

This is the other big news out of this story that will be ignored by most.

Instead of buying MORE F-35's to fill the fighter shortfall the Navy is looking to purchase the Super Hornet instead.

I said it once, I'll say it again.

Something is seriously broken with the F-35.  The Pentagon knows it.  The US Navy knows it.  The USMC knows it.  The USAF knows it....even our allies know it but everyone is remaining quiet.

I wonder what it is?

SIDENOTE:  I told you sequestration was here to stay.  Want proof?  Check this out from Reuters....

Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, chided President Barack Obama for proposing a $534 billion Pentagon base budget that "ignores the law" by exceeding federal spending caps by nearly $35 billion.
Frelinghuysen told Navy and Marine Corps leaders to submit specific lists of programs that could be cut if Congress failed to approve the Democratic president's request for more funding.
"With respect, I will advise you that we will cut the $13 billion with you or we will cut it without you, but we need to do the job the law requires us to do," he said, noting the Navy's budget request was about $13 billion above the levels allotted under spending limits passed in 2011.

Do you think that the US military will continue to wall off funding for the F-35 when other programs are competing for the same funding...especially after 20 years of development and still no active squadrons?  The Navy is pushing for its new ballistic missile sub, the USMC is pushing for more amphibs and ground vehicles not to mention CH-53K's, the USAF is pushing for its Long Range Bomber and the US Army is trying to protect the JLTV.

The F-35 had its time and the window is rapidly closing.