US Marine Corps F-35 buy to be cut

. @CMC_MarineCorps says the Marine Corps' F-35 buy will be less than the program of record but says more wargaming and assessments need to be done before they settle on a number.

— Lee Hudson ⚜️ (@LeeHudson_) June 15, 2021

I'm a F-35 skeptic and critic.

This however doesn't bring me joy.  It wasn't because we're deciding to re-invigorate Marine Air to support the guys on the ground.

This is because Berger is all in on trying to get his "baby" across the finish line.

He's stealing money from everything he can to see his vision of a Missile Firing Marine Corps that can compete, not fight and win, but compete with China.

This is more about operating costs than how they view the airplane.  Lockheed Martin's plan to get the money on the back end thru maintenance has run into a fiscal buzz saw from two direction.

Another radical and drastic turn in philosophy from HQMC....and covid...meaning we now have a Democrat administration (that everyone at HQMC wanted) that is about swing money from defense to social spending (don't know if that's right or wrong...the Pentagon has been spending like a crack whore at a crack house).

So I won't cheer this news.  I'll drink it in and see how much pain the Marine Air Wing will take.  Oh and make no mistake about it.  Next up on the chopping block will be the CH-53K.  They're gonna slice that 100 million dollar helicopter to ribbons!