[Jim from C-Town]

I never understood why we would need one type of fighter jet for the entire military. The Marines have a different mission than the Air force and Navy. They should certainly be allowed a separate war plane. Also, does the use of one plane really make for a better fighting force?

I am sure lots of people with more experience and know how than I have thought this out, but with the massive incompetence in all things government, maybe not.

[shibumi]

"Also, does the use of one plane really make for a better fighting force?"

In my (not-so-humble) opinion the variety and purposeful effectiveness of our multiple aircraft designs is a huge part of what made US a superpower. ("Made" as in past tense.)

Simple example:
The A10 does things in close air support far better than F15, F16 or F18s.

The guys on the ground want the A10.
But you wouldn't necessarily want to fly it against a MIG29 in a dogfight.

Having only one fighter jet in the arsenal strikes me like saying that we'll only have one gun for every soldier. Then you tell your design team you want an "Assault/Long Range/Sniper/Bolt Action/Select Fire/Pistol/Grenade Launcher."