F-35 News. The 2015 IOC & Dunford's first test of character...

Major Hat Tip to ELP Blog for the link.

The F-35B’s “combat capability” at IOC may end up being flatly untrue, and its best realistic case might be as a mere paper tiger. Korean-War vintage F-9 Cougar jets would be “combat capable,” too, in the sense that they could take off, land, and fire weapons. That isn’t an adequate standard for entrusting them with the safety of an MEU in 2016.
Defense Industry Daily

This will be the first test of Dunford ... well one of the first tests for him as Commandant.  I've been reviewing the presentation given to industry during the last Modern Day Marine (MDM) and it appears that he AMOS was rather sinister in his dealing with the budget.

In essence he's AMOS front loaded the F-35, CH-53, and MV-22...while delaying every vehicle program in the Corps.

The push for a 2015 IOC seems to be designed to benefit the F-35 program and not to meet the needs of the Marine Corps.

The question.  Will Dunford outright delay the F-35 until its finished flight testing or will he go forward and place aircraft into service that cannot provide the same support as the AV-8B?  At risk?  Marine lives.  This one move will be telling.  Either he is a man of morals and will "take care of his Marines" or he's a bought and paid for political hack in the mold of Amos.

I'll be watching this carefully.