From an RN viewpoint, the reason for not making a fuss over Tranche 3 is that (in the event it's cut) the 138 JSFs (JN - wossallthis about 82, especially as the final numbers decision is out in the future) will be filling in for the cut-back land-based fighters. Their Airships would then be entirely justified in switching a substantial portion of the buy to the much less expensive and much better performing Dave-A.
The crunches for CVF now are delivering the ships within a million miles of schedule and budget; ensuring that Dave-B works; and solving the MASC issue. It's all going to cost a lot of money, more than anyone thinks now. The risk is that they spend the first five-to-seven years as a hollow force with a small number of performance-limited jets and inadequate AEW, unable to stray too far from a CVN with Super Hornets and E-2s. It will be a shame to have built big boats for 30-plus fighters and then never see them with more than 20 embarked.
Dave-B is not out of the woods. I suspect that it needs more power to perform most of its missions, and that may be forthcoming as long as the F136 stays alive; and that may still cost money and time. AEW&C is going to need a new platform to match the range of the fighters.
Where JN has it right is in challenging the assumption that CVs are an alternative to land-based air. They are complementary. OK, they are Scud-proof - but if the adversary has a serious ability to toss chem-laden missiles at fixed targets, then I suggest that you're not going to be sustaining a lot of land forces in the theater either, in which case the CV air wing is going to be providing air cover and CAS for exactly what?