Close Air Support is no longer a Marine Air priority.

via Defense News.

“The F-35 is intended to the high-threat CAS platform,” Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said during the hearing. “We are losing CAS capacity, that’s what the Budget Control Act has done to us.”

We are losing CAS capability.

Have you noticed what General Davis never talks about with regard to the F-35?  He never talks close air support.  He talks about every other mission under the sun and is trying to invent new ones but he never talks about what is suppose to the be Marine Air's bread and butter.

Why?

Is it because you don't want to use a stealth strike fighter in the role?  Is it because when you start adding pylons its just another 4th gen fighter?  Is it because we have an aviator wearing 4 stars that's just like his daddy Amos, and actually doesn't give a fuck about close air support?

I have no idea.

What I do know is that the current debacle that is our effort against ISIS is instructive.  Marines better get real comfortable with artillery again.  Its probably the only help they'll get (meaning M777, HIMARS, naval guns, Army fires, etc...).