[Oberon]

Note, the F-18 in any incarnation cannot provide the USMC with a replacement for the Harrier.

True enough.

[WhiskeyX]

I was just looking at the Obama Administration’s “Table S–7. Proposed Budget in Population- and Inflation-Adjusted Dollars Inflation-Adjusted Dollars (In billions of constant dollars, adjusted for population growth)”, Outlays:
Appropriated (“discretionary”) programs:
Defense

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
605 577 548 530 520 510 505 500 495 489

In other words, the Obama plan is to reduce the discretionary Defense budget about one-third as the Defense is already struggling with budgets that are cutting out the fundamental backbone bone of the national defenses.