Pentagon Faces Major Challenges Tracking Billions in F-35 Spare Parts

(MENAFN) The US Department of Defense continues to face serious difficulties monitoring and accounting for millions of spare components used in its F-35 fighter jet program, with billions of dollars in equipment remaining unaccounted for despite years of warnings, according to a government oversight report.

A report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized the Pentagon's inventory management practices, describing its records of spare parts for the most expensive weapons program in US history as “outdated, inaccurate, and incomplete.”

Investigations conducted by the GAO and the Defense Department's inspector general have repeatedly identified extensive weaknesses in the program's inventory tracking procedures since 2019.

The latest assessment highlighted the limited improvements achieved over the years, stating that “DoD has made minimal progress in attaining and maintaining accountability for F-35 parts,” since the shortcomings were first brought to light seven years ago.

The F-35 program operates through a shared spare parts network, distinguishing it from traditional military aviation projects. Under this arrangement, essential components, including engines and tires, are distributed from a common inventory used by the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, alongside international operators.

As of March 2026, the centralized inventory held approximately 26 million components with an estimated combined value of $31 billion, according to the report.

Despite the scale of the system, around 17,000 spare parts, worth as much as $2.5 billion, could not be found in the Pentagon's Enterprise Logistics Management System, the database responsible for recording military property and overseeing logistics operations.

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