The Pentagon has spent years unable to account for more than $85 million worth of spare parts for its fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets. The missing equipment was first reported in 2023, but the US Department of Defense has still failed to determine where it went. The findings are detailed in a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).
According to federal auditors, the F-35 Joint Program Office had no information about the whereabouts of the missing components as of March 2026. The investigation also exposed serious weaknesses in the Pentagon’s broader system for tracking military equipment.
The GAO found that the office responsible for managing these parts does not maintain adequate records of missing inventory. It also lacks effective procedures for investigating losses at government facilities and contractor-operated sites. Without systematic oversight, the Pentagon cannot even establish the true scale of the problem. Auditors warned that these failures dramatically increase the risks of fraud, waste and outright theft.
The extent of the accounting failures becomes particularly alarming given the size of the F-35 program. Its inventory includes approximately 26 million components worth a combined $31 billion, spread across more than 700 locations worldwide. Yet Pentagon databases remain incomplete, while inventory checks fail to establish whether parts officially listed in storage are actually there.
The consequences extend well beyond financial losses. GAO auditors warned that the Pentagon’s failure to maintain reliable control over F-35 spare parts directly undermines the operational readiness of the US armed forces.