The U.S. Marine Corps is poised to reshuffle planned fleets of Lockheed Martin F-35Bs and F-35Cs for the third time in a decade, in response to a fundamental shift in the service's operational philosophy that could affect acquisition priorities across the aviation branch. Marine and Navy officials are renegotiating the terms of a tactical aircraft (TacAir) integration (TAI) agreement, with a clear mandate from newly appointed Marines Commandant Gen. David Berger, which favors less reliance on the Marines' once-stalwart commitment to a 38-ship amphibious carrier force along with tighter cooperation between the two seafaring armed services.
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