Put the AV-8B back into production?

I am not a fan of STOVL attack jets. With that stated, the USMC still has an existing requirement for this mission.

The F-35 will never match the AV-8Bs better:

-Affordability
-Capability
-Maintenance support
-Sortie rate
-Logistics footprint

And so much more; from land, or sea.

The Harrier is more than enough capability to take on low-end threats.

The Harrier, Super Hornet and especially the F-35, will never be able to stand up to high-end threats.

Taking on the high-end threats will require:

-The U.S. Navy not presenting so many juicy, surface targets.
-Cruise missiles
-Ballistic missiles
-UAVs for ISR and strike

A much more affordable U.S. Navy could look like this:

Medium-sized turbine driven aircraft carriers based in some part form work knowledge from the existing new, America class ships.

ISR for these ships would be provided by land-based long range aircraft.

As an aside, the USN should also make up a requirement for 5 KC-46 air refueling groups. This would be affordable, be more responsive to the fleet and provide more fleet capability.

Not being nuke, these ships would have more availability at sea time. The USN could be affordable in the following configuration:

12 medium CVs (The "air wing" composed of 12 Harriers, 12 helicopters)
30 DDG
40 FFG
25 MCM
35 light, medium and heavy amphibious ships
30 Auxiliaries
15 SSBN (based on Virginia class with less ballistic missiles than the Ohio-class)
30 SSN
30 SS

A new-build Harrier could change the way the Navy does business and still allow it to take care of low-end threats which makes up most of today's missions.

As this video suggests, the Navy should change...or become so unaffordable and out of step that we will lose battles and wars.