Every Stealth Aircraft Counts

I've mentioned that I think we are preparing to hit North Korea's nuclear facilities in early 2018 before they get nuclear missiles capable of hitting American territory; and that China knows they have a deadline to deal with the North Korea problem before America does.

I've also mentioned that I think South Korea, Japan, Britain, and Australia will participate if China fails by whatever deadline we have set for military action.

I thought that the British were sending a carrier to the Pacific next year, which would fit with a coalition strike campaign then if China fails to deal with North Korea.

But apparently, the plan is for the carriers to go in 2020. So a dot in my picture is gone. I clearly misinterpreted the article in the weekend data dump on the carrier plan as a change in the other ship visit next year rather than an entirely new mission in a later year.

That British article from May 2017 also says Britain has 7 F-35Bs, all in the US; that the US Marines will initially supplement the British air complement with a half dozen planes; and that the ships will routinely sail with 12 planes although they can carry up to 36.

I wonder if, without a carrier of their own, the British might contribute their F-35Bs to help equip a couple of American big deck amphibious warfare ships as light carriers to participate in the strike campaign?