GAO Finds Accountability Gaps in the $31 Billion F-35 Parts Pool

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified significant accountability problems in the shared spare-parts pool supporting the F-35 program. The pool contains about 26 million items valued at roughly $31 billion, but the Department of Defense (DoD) cannot reliably account for its contents. The issue concerns more than the physical location of individual components: incomplete or unreliable records can also make it difficult for program officials to establish what inventory is available, where it is held, and whether records accurately reflect the parts needed to support aircraft operations.

The scale of the record discrepancies is substantial. As of March 2026, more than 17,000 parts valued at an estimated $1.3 billion could not be reliably located in program records. GAO said the value could be as high as $2.5 billion. Separately, more than 1 million parts previously reported lost remain unaccounted for. These figures describe distinct aspects of the accountability problem and should not be treated as a single count of newly missing parts. For the program, uncertainty about inventory status can complicate sustainment planning, parts availability assessments, and stewardship of government property.

DoD agreed with all four GAO recommendations and is targeting completion of a full inventory by March 2027. That commitment creates a defined period for program offices and supporting organizations to address the underlying data and accountability issues. The supplied information does not identify a solicitation, contract award, funding amount for corrective work, or confirmed procurement schedule. Accordingly, the findings are a market signal—not evidence that a specific contract opportunity is open. Any future work would depend on DoD’s implementation approach, existing contract arrangements, and decisions by the responsible program and oversight offices.

For GovCon firms, the practical areas to monitor include inventory verification, property-accountability processes, data validation, integration of inventory systems, and audit support. Companies already supporting F-35 sustainment can assess whether their services and systems could help improve traceability and records quality ahead of the March 2027 target, while avoiding assumptions that new work will necessarily be competed. The F-35 Joint Program Office, Defense Contract Management Agency, and Defense Contract Audit Agency are among the offices identified in connection with the program and oversight landscape. Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney are named as vendors in the source data; the findings do not establish that either company caused the discrepancies or has been selected for corrective work.

• The shared F-35 parts pool contains about 26 million items with a reported value of roughly $31 billion.
• As of March 2026, more than 17,000 parts could not be reliably located in program records.
• The estimated value of those parts is $1.3 billion, with a possible high estimate of $2.5 billion.
• More than 1 million parts previously reported lost remain unaccounted for; this is a separate reported figure from the 17,000-plus parts.
• DoD agreed with all four GAO recommendations and is targeting a full inventory by March 2027.
• No open solicitation or confirmed contract opportunity is identified in the supplied reporting.
• Potential capability areas to monitor include inventory verification, property accountability, data validation, system integration, and audit support.
• F-35 sustainment participants can review parts traceability and record quality in preparation for the planned inventory effort.
• The named organizations include GAO, DoD, the F-35 Joint Program Office, Defense Contract Management Agency, and Defense Contract Audit Agency.
• Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney are named vendors, but the source does not assign them responsibility for the findings or confirm future work.