Time to tell the whiz kids we’re not made of money! Enough with all the new toys! Stick with what works until a genuine need arises.
The "genuine need" has arisen, and it's called "China". However, I'm far from sure that the F-35 is what's needed.
We need use cases!
The basic principle that you have missed is that when the basic need arises, it is too late.
One other item that you need to understand; with today’s manufacturing infrastructure and capacity we would lose world war two.
There are some other things you should know. Can you handle the truth
The F-15 is a blowtorch. It can smack lots of enemy targets.
It’s not so much the bean counters, but the mission-techno-wizards that screwed up. The F-22 is an air superiority fighter. I am unaware of any fielded fighter elsewhere that can stand up to it.
But, the techno-geeks in the military decided there can be a single fighter designed to do all missions, from direct ground support (A-10s excel at this), to air-to-mud (F-16’s mission), to air to air (F-15’s), without trading off the missions versus the capability.
If the aircraft is designed for the mission, it usually works. If the aircraft is designed for several missions that directly contradict each other in terms of requirements, it rarely does.
Hence, the all-everything F-35 may just be a millstone.