GAO flags major gaps in F-35 parts tracking

A new Government Accountability Office report has found that the Department of Defense is still unable to account for more than one million F-35 spare parts valued at over $85 million, years after they were first reported missing. As of March 2026, the F-35 Joint Program Office had not determined what happened to these components, which were initially identified in an earlier audit covering losses between May 2018 and October 2022.

Beyond the previously identified losses, GAO identified broader gaps in the F-35 program’s inventory controls. More than 17,000 F-35 parts, estimated at $1.3 billion in value, were missing from the program’s inventory system.

The F-35 program manages a global pool of approximately 26 million spare parts, collectively worth about $31 billion and spread across more than 700 government and contractor facilities. GAO found that the Pentagon’s records for these parts are incomplete, outdated, and unreliable, and that the accountable property system of record does not reflect real-time changes.

A key weakness is the lack of seamless data integration. The Enterprise Logistics Management System used to manage F-35 inventory cannot directly interface with the property management systems of prime contractor Lockheed Martin (LMT) and engine supplier Pratt & Whitney. Instead, the Joint Program Office relies on periodic contractor data submissions, some of which were found to be incomplete or contain apparent cost errors.

GAO concluded that the F-35 program has not established a mature, fully functioning property accountability program. It found that procedures for monitoring losses and validating data are underdeveloped, and that physical inventory practices do not adequately verify the existence and completeness of F-35 parts. These shortcomings, GAO warned, constrain effective oversight and could affect warfighter readiness and financial reporting.

To address the problems, GAO recommended that the Pentagon improve procedures for tracking reported losses, enhance training and guidance for accountable property officers, and develop clearer requirements for how these officials operate. The F-35 Joint Program Office stated it agreed with the recommendations and is working to modernize its property management, including establishing real-time data interfaces between government and contractor systems and expanding training and oversight.

The findings on F-35 parts accountability come as Morocco explores the possibility of joining the F-35 program. Morocco has reportedly sought to acquire the F-35A variant and has reportedly asked the United States to train some of its air force pilots on the aircraft.

If completed, an F-35 acquisition would make Morocco the first African operator of the U.S. stealth fighter. However, there is currently no U.S. government approval, signed contract, or official announcement naming Morocco as an F-35 customer. The GAO’s findings underline the extensive maintenance and supply-chain systems required to support the aircraft, in addition to the cost of purchasing the jets, in a program whose lifetime costs are estimated at more than $1.9 trillion.