"USAF has a dedicated air superiority fighter to go up against such a foe, and it isn't the F-35."
The trouble is we have so few of the "real" air superiority fighters, unless we continue to keep F-15 in service. F-16 is no slouch either by the way, but oh yeah, its a strike fighter too.
Dumb as dirt to stop building F-22's considering the immense cost of development. Stopped on the disingenuous premise that the JSF is less expensive! We should have 500 or more F-22s for air superiority. Don't expect the F-35 (or A-35 or whatever you want to call it) to fill the gap. Heck its a one seat flying keyboard of computers and displays. Did I mention we don't "quite" have the software right yet, and oh yeah the primary flight display - yeah its not quite there either.
To help afford it, and to free up maintenance personnel, can the A-10. That's a winner and of course, no worries, the F-35 can do CAS. Yeah, like we'll see them send that expensive vehicle to do what only the A-10 does so well.
Military procurement - a true nightmare, no matter which side of the Atlantic you are.