Word, JTO.
The program has a way of capturing the people whose job it is to represent the customer. Some have gone on to work for the contractor, but the single biggest factor is a culture oriented towards success - or rather, success in the eyes of those who will be appointing you to your next job. And since you're going to move on long before it's finished, the temptation is to declare that everything is fine and bank on things not totally going to poo until you're safely out of range.
Now add to that the frog-in-boiling-water factor: it was easy to love JSF in 2002 when it was cheaper and better than anything else and all the alternatives looked wobbly. (And it was so cheap that it was't going to threaten any other acquisition program.) By the time most of the bad news surfaced in 2011 it was too late for many customers to look at alternatives.
The funniest bit in the JPO's response to the AvWeek story:
The JSF Program Office states that “the Navy’s commitment to the program remains strong”
I keep looking for the org chart where the CNO reports to the JPO public affairs guy, but try as I might I cannot find it.
Last edited by LowObservable; 7th Feb 2015 at 13:19.