“We’ve been made aware of this, and we’re obviously working with the United States and Lockheed in terms of how we can assist in this investigation,” Marles told reporters in Adelaide. He said his understanding was that no sensitive components were in the shipment.
Politico first reported that an intermediary transporting the parts on behalf of Lockheed Martin had rerouted the shipment in transit. The reason for the diversion and how the components reached Hong Kong remained unclear, CNN reported.
The Pentagon told CNN that its F-35 Joint Program Office was “aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components.” “We are actively working with US authorities and industry partners to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence,” a Defense Department spokesperson said.
Marles said Australian authorities were examining what happened at their end of the shipment. “This is ultimately a matter for the US and Lockheed, as its prime contractor and the contractor that is responsible for managing the global supply chain,” he said.
Lockheed declined to discuss the shipment’s status, citing security, but described the missing components as posing a low risk of exploitation. The company said it follows U.S. Defense Department and Defense Logistics Agency rules for handling shipments.
“The components in question are unserviceable and deemed low risk for exploitation. We manage every shipment with the highest levels of caution and security,” a Lockheed spokesperson told CNN.
Politico reported that State Department and Pentagon officials briefed congressional staff in June and that further briefings were expected. Officials from China’s foreign and defense ministries said at separate briefings that they were “not aware” of the incident, according to CNN.
The security risk depends on exactly which components were involved, said CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton, a former U.S. Air Force officer. He said metal parts with stealth coatings could provide sensitive information to an adversary.
“Everything to minimize radar signature. That’s the kind of thing I would deem sensitive,” Leighton said.
The diversion also puts a spotlight on the F-35 programme’s tracking of spare parts. A 2023 GAO report cited by CNN said the programme office did not maintain complete records of lost parts and their disposition.
Source: CNN.
