Ev
I'm not up to speed on the projected split of F35's between the FAA and RAF, or if all F35's will be lumped into one "Joint force" as present? However I'd suggest that not having dedicated squadrons under RN command would be a serious error.
Set aside controversy over carriers for one moment and imagine an infantry battalion. No one in their right mind would suggest that an infantry battalions weapons be under the command of a seperate organisation (even within the army) to that of the battalions CO.
Back to carriers. A carriers defensive and offensive weapons are its aircraft. We can probably imagine a set of circs in which some "joint" organisation prioritised F35 deployment elsewhere leaving the carriers weaponless. It is of course very rare in wartime to not need air superiority, therefore any pull back of carrier based aircraft is bound to lead to losses in any "secondary" theatre, so any such decision would be prompted by extraordinary circumstances of national threat (1940 springs to mind and the controversy over withholding RAF squadrons in the UK during the invasion of France). The obvious conclusion then is that we don't have enough aircraft, not that we don't need carriers.
My ideal world solution to this obvious problem would be to bin F35 and concentrate upon Typhoon. Withdrawal from the F35 program would save around £8bn (if memory serves) out of the £12bn CVF/F35 package. Build the carriers as CTOL (accepting incremental increase in costs of construction & manning) and build Tranche 3 and 4 (yes, we'd need more Typhoons, not less) as carrier capable. Even with additional costs for CTOL and an extra few squadrons of Typhoon, the MoD would still save several £bn over current plans.
"awaiting incoming" as they say
