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Air Force

Pentagon Inspector General Highlights Continuing F-35 Readiness Concerns

Frank Wolfe

Wednesday, January 7th, 2026

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Pentagon Inspector General Highlights Continuing F-35 Readiness Concerns

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an F-35A with the 4th Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB, Utah taking off during Red Flag 25-3 at Nellis AFB, Nev. on July 30, 2025.

While Air Force F-35A and Navy F-35C fighters by Lockheed Martin [LMT] were in the U.S. strike package against Venezuela on Jan. 3, a Pentagon Inspector General (IG) report last month highlighted continuing readiness shortfalls for the aircraft. The F-35 is the U.S. military's costliest acquisition program--more than $2 trillion over the fighter's life, of which $442 billion is for acquisition and $1.58 trillion is for sustainment. The average availability "for all military service F-35 aircraft in FY 2024 was…

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Congress

Senate Budget Dems Push For Defense Reconciliation Spending Details, Cite ‘Slush Fund’ Concerns

Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee have raised “significant concern” with the Pentagon’s move to classify reconciliation spending plans, urging the department to provide more public details on how the […]