The Pentagon has $31 billion in F-35 parts. A watchdog says it can't reliably keep track of them.
A watchdog found the Pentagon still can't account for millions in past F-35 parts losses and is struggling to track billions more in spare parts.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is grappling with managing an inventory of over $31 billion in F-35 Joint Strike Fighter parts, according to a recent government watchdog report. The F-35 program, also known as the Lightning II, has been plagued by readiness, cost, and spare parts issues. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that as of March 2026, the JPO still couldn't account for more than $85 million worth of F-35 parts that were flagged years ago.
The GAO reported that as of March 2026, approximately 1 million F-35 parts worth over $85 million were still unaccounted for due to a failure to maintain parts records at contractor-managed facilities. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found several problems preventing the JPO from accurately accounting for F-35 parts, with the Enterprise Logistics Management System (ELMS) being at the center of these issues.
The ELMS pulls data from various sources and is not updated in real-time, leading to errors in tracking F-35 parts. Additionally, the Pentagon lacks complete records for some parts, with an estimated 17,000 parts valued at about $1.3 billion undergoing maintenance or repair not yet entered into the official system. The GAO emphasized that reliable data on F-35 parts is crucial for meeting the warfighter's needs and ensuring accurate financial reporting.
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