Pentagon Faces Scrutiny Over Millions of Missing F-35 Parts Worth Billions

The Government Accountability Office reported that the Department of Defense is struggling to track an estimated 26 million F-35 warfighter parts worth roughly $31 billion, spread across hundreds of facilities worldwide. This inventory issue comes to light following previous criticisms regarding long-standing financial reporting deficiencies and a recent incident where a shipment of parts was allegedly routed through Hong Kong and swiped by China. The watchdog has criticized the current inventory tracking system as outdated and incomplete, noting that the Pentagon has made minimal progress in implementing past recommendations. With the F-35 program standing as the most costly weapon system in history, these management deficiencies raise serious concerns about whether the aircraft will remain reliable and ready for deployment.