US military can't find $1.3B in F-35 parts, because of course it can't.

A new Government Accountability Office report reveals the F-35 Joint Program Office can't reliably track thousands of spare parts moving through its global maintenance network. The Pentagon lacks a clear picture of the location of an estimated $1.3 to $2.5 billion worth of components, partly due to contractor records that don't integrate with the military's main inventory system.

This creates a massive readiness and security headache. Officials can't determine what parts are available or where they are, directly undermining efforts to keep the jets flying. The report comes amid a separate investigation into how F-35 parts shipped from Australia ended up in Hong Kong. The takeaway is a depressingly familiar one: even the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program is hobbled by basic logistics failures that persist years after being identified.