CM - Also, from the CONOPS viewpoint, my quibble with an airborne gateway is that when the adversary's Vera-E or Chinese equivalent sees the gateway airborne and gabbling away, it's a cue to watch out for F-35s/F-22s.
By the way, on the USAF initial "operational" capability... I'm looking at a chart (which I would post if I had an online source) that says that Block 3F (that USAF won't get until after IOC) includes IFF Mode S certification and Mode 5 integration. How does that affect AA weapon usage in typical RoE? My guess is that most RoE will restrict employment of anything more lethal than a Nerf dart without IFF 5/S, but I could be wrong.
Also
TBD - how much the focus on clearing 3I operationally for the USAF will affect the timing of 3F.
re: terrorist attacks on the ground. This may be a concern if you are in the kind of operation where you're running out of a small civilian airfield with a short runway (justification for the F-35B), since such things tend to be adjacent to towns, not all of whose residents may be fans of the US Marine Corps.
MANPADS could ruin your whole day as you come in for a VL or creeping VL, slow and committed with a nice big IR signature. Likewise guided rockets or mortars - the bad guy pulls the trigger just as you start final descent to touchdown. How fast can you taxi?