{"id":22418,"date":"2017-02-07T16:17:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T16:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:06:27","slug":"letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>This is a letter to the editor.\u00a0Send your letters to the editor to\u00a0<\/i> <a href=\"mailto:navylet@navytimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\" title=\"Link: mailto:navylet@navytimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\"><i>navylet@navytimes.com<\/i><\/a> <i>\u00a0or<\/i> <i>\u00a0<\/i> <i><a href=\"mailto:marinelet@marinecorpstimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\" title=\"Link: mailto:marinelet@marinecorpstimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\">marinelet@marinecorpstimes.com<\/a>.<\/i> <br\/> <br\/>For over 10 years, the Marine Corps has been on a path to replace its legacy tactical aircraft with an all-VSTOL F-35B force with the exception of F-35Cs to meet Navy aircraft carrier commitments. The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership. <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to the Navy and a supportive Congress, there is a viable option that needs to be seriously considered, and that is a mix of Lockheed F-35Bs and Boeing Super Hornets. There is an unquestioned need for F-35Bs to replace the AV-8Bs for employment from amphibious ships and to some extent austere forward operating areas. \u00a0 <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Far less clear is the case for transitioning virtually the entire legacy force to a very expensive VSTOL variant of a fifth generation aircraft. <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This goes directly to Service roles and missions and while the Marine Corps is recognized as our nation&#8217;s first to fight in many scenarios to include those with sophisticated integrated air defenses. That does not translate into a need for an exclusive inventory of state-of-the art aircraft. \u00a0 <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That would make the Marine Corps, the smallest of the Service air elements, standout as having the most expensive aircraft complement both in procurement costs and in sustainability. <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine Corps decision to depart from a common aircraft procurement strategy with the Navy for the first time now appears to be costly not only in fiscal resources but in operational capability. \u00a0 <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy chose to replace its legacy F-14, F\/A-18 and EA-6B aircraft with variants of the Super Hornet early on then adding F-35Cs as they become available. That decision has resulted in a smooth transition that has not let the delays in the F-35 program create a capability gap. Perhaps most significantly, the range, endurance and payload advantages of the Super Hornets over the Marine F-35Bs give the Navy a decided baseline edge that will be further advanced by the unique features of the F-35C. \u00a0 <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another major advantage of the Navy&#8217;s force mix is that the EA-18G Growler will provide the ever increasing important electronic attack function to support the F-35Cs as well as Super Hornets in challenging air defense environments.\u00a0 <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine Corps on the other hand plans on phasing out their EA-6Bs which support both air and ground combat elements without replacement. <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This raises operational effectiveness questions with respect to ground and air combat element requirements. Questions being raised about the F-35B from a ground commanders perspective are like those that first arose in Vietnam as to why the multipurpose F-4 Phantoms were chosen to be the predominate close air support aircraft. The emergence of counter-stealth air defense radars raises questions as to the vulnerability of the F-35B. <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Capabilities aside, it now appears the cost of an F-35B will be more than 50 percent greater than a Super Hornet and the difference in sustaining costs are likely to be even more pronounced. <br\/> <br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It should be readily evident to all in the know that a formal cost and operational effectiveness analysis is needed to shape the procurement process for Marine Aviation going forward. I have no doubt the answer will be a mix of Super Hornets and F-35Bs. <br\/> <br\/> <b>H. Wayne Whitten<\/b> <br\/> <b>Colonel USMC (ret.)<\/b> <br\/> <br\/> <i>Send your letters to the editor to\u00a0<\/i> <a href=\"mailto:navylet@navytimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\" title=\"Link: mailto:navylet@navytimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\"><i>navylet@navytimes.com<\/i><\/a> <i>\u00a0or<\/i> <i> <\/i> <i><a href=\"mailto:marinelet@marinecorpstimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\" title=\"Link: mailto:marinelet@marinecorpstimes.com?subject=Letter%to%20the%20editor\">marinelet@marinecorpstimes.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":34354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[267],"class_list":["post-22418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"FFQ7XLMRSJDCPNDRJOHCNCJMJE","arc_canonical_url":"\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-07T16:17:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:06:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Letters to the Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Letters to the Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2017-02-07T16:17:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T19:06:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 605,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2017-02-07T16:17:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T19:06:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/07\\\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Uncategorized\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/uncategorized\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"uncategorized\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program - Navy Times","description":"The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program","og_description":"The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2017-02-07T16:17:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T19:06:27+00:00","author":"Letters to the Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Letters to the Editor","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program","datePublished":"2017-02-07T16:17:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T19:06:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/"},"wordCount":605,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/","name":"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg","datePublished":"2017-02-07T16:17:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T19:06:27+00:00","description":"The lengthy delays in the F-35 program and projected procurement and sustainment costs coupled with legacy aircraft readiness issues dictates need for a major review by the incoming OSD leadership.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/02\/07\/letter-time-to-rethink-the-f-35-program\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Uncategorized","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/","ad_zone":"uncategorized"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Letter: Time to rethink the F-35 program"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f-35.JPG_965761.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22426,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22418\/revisions\/22426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22418"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=22418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}