The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report of interest to members of the life cycle logistics functional area entitled “GAO-23-106098 F-35 Program: DOD Needs Better Accountability for Global Spare Parts and Reporting of Losses Worth Millions”.

According to GAO auditors, “The Department of Defense anticipates spending $1.7 trillion over the life of its F-35 aircraft program. DOD owns certain F-35 spare parts that contractors manage. But DOD doesn't account for or oversee the parts. This is in part because various DOD offices and contractors haven't agreed on whether the spare parts should be categorized as government-furnished property. This lack of agreement affects how DOD processes lost parts. For example, of about a million lost parts worth $85 million, DOD only reviewed the circumstances surrounding 2% of identified losses since 2018. We recommended that DOD address these issues.”