F-35's Inventory Failings Are Issue in Pentagon's Audit Failure
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has promised to produce a first-ever 'clean' audit of the Pentagon by 2028, but the F-35, the costliest US weapons system, poses one of the biggest obstacles.
For the sixth straight year, failures in tracking the inventory of spare parts and equipment for the fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin Corp. were a 'material weakness' contributing to the continuing inability to achieve a successful account of the military's finances, according to the Pentagon comptroller and inspector general.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
34 minutes ago
- Fox News
China accuses Hegseth of espousing 'Cold War mentality' for labeling country as a threat: 'Vilified'
China criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday for his "vilified" remarks "filled with provocations" in which he said the Asian country poses a legitimate threat in the Indo-Pacific. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Hegseth touted a "Cold War mentality" when he delivered his speech on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore. "Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat,'" a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement. "The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord," the statement continued. "China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S. No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the US itself, which is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific." On Saturday, Hegseth said the U.S. will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon views as rapidly developing threats by China, particularly toward Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. The Chinese army "is rehearsing for the real deal," Hegseth said. "We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent." The Pentagon chief said China is no longer building up its military forces to take Taiwan, but it is "actively training for it, every day." Addressing the dispute over Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in its statement that the matter is China's internal affair and that the U.S. should "never play with fire." "No country is in a position to interfere," the statement said. "The US should never imagine it could use the Taiwan question as leverage against China. The US must never play with fire on this question. China urges the US to fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and stop supporting and emboldening the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces." The statement also accused the U.S. of deploying offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and "stoking flames and creating tensions" in the Asia-Pacific, which it said was "turning the region into a powder keg and making countries in the region deeply concerned." In the South China Sea, the statement said there "has never been any problem with regard to freedom of navigation and overflight there." "China has always been committed to working with countries concerned to properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, while safeguarding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with laws and regulations," the spokesperson said. "It is the U.S. that is the primary factor hurting the peace and stability in the South China Sea." The statement concluded: "China urges the U.S. to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region, and stop inciting conflict and confrontation and escalating tensions in the region." Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang also called Hegseth's comments a provocation that distorted China's policy positions. While Hegseth vowed to boost U.S. defenses overseas to counter any possible threat from China, the defense secretary insisted that allies in the Indo-Pacific also contribute more to their own defense. "We ask, and indeed we insist, that our allies and partners do their part on defense," he said on Saturday. "Sometimes that means having uncomfortable and tough conversations." The U.S. and China reached a deal last month to cut tariffs on each other by 115% for 90 days to allow time for negotiators from both sides to come to a more substantive agreement, but Trump said in a social media post on Friday that he would no longer be "nice" with China when it comes to trade and accused Beijing of breaking an unspecified agreement with the U.S.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UK to build 12 nuclear submarines in preparation for potential war with Russia
The United Kingdom has announced plans to build 12 new nuclear submarines in preparation for potential armed aggression from Russia. Source: The Sunday Times Details: According to The Sunday Times, the UK is planning to construct 12 new nuclear attack submarines to replace the seven existing Astute-class submarines equipped with conventional weapons and to complement the four Trident nuclear missile strategic submarines that form the sea-based component of the UK's nuclear deterrent. The new submarines are expected to enter service by the late 2030s. They will be part of the AUKUS trilateral security pact signed between the UK, the US and Australia in 2021. The alliance provides for the sharing of military technology and intelligence and the joint development of submarines. The total number of submarines ordered under AUKUS will reach 20. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also promise to invest £15 billion (around US$20 billion) in a nuclear warhead development programme. The Sunday Times noted that this is the first time the UK has revealed both the number of nuclear attack submarines to replace the Astute class and the scale of investment in warhead development programmes. Details about the rearmament of the British forces are expected to be outlined in the UK government's strategic defence review, which will be published on Monday 2 June. Defence Secretary John Healey said that the UK must be ready for armed attack from Russia and that the review will send a "message to Moscow" about the country's readiness for combat. The 130-page document will also recommend putting the UK armed forces on a state of combat readiness in response to the "immediate and pressing" threat from Russia. Background: Prior to that, The Sunday Times reported that the UK government is negotiating with the Pentagon to purchase US F-35A Lightning stealth fighters capable of launching tactical nuclear weapons. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
On This Day, June 2: U.S. F-16 shot down over Bosnia O'Grady rescued
1 of 6 | Capt. Scott O'Grady gives a press conference on June 10, 1995, eight days after his F-16 Fighting Falcon was shot down over Bosnia. After six days of evasion, he was rescued by U.S. Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. File Photo by SRA Tana R. Hamilton/ U.S. National Archives On this date in history: In 1865, the Civil War officially came to an end when Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators. In 1886, U.S. President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, the 21-year-old daughter of his former law partner, in a White House ceremony. The bride became the youngest first lady in U.S. history. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into law, extending citizenship to all Native Americans born within the United States and its territories. In 1946, in a national referendum, voters in Italy decided the country should become a republic rather than return to a monarchy. The results were officially announced three days later after votes were counted. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in London's Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. A year earlier, upon receiving word of her father's death, the former Princess Elizabeth broke down and wept. In 1985, police near San Francisco arrested Leonard Lake, who, along with an accomplice, Charles Ng, were accused of between 11 to 25 murders. Lake killed himself in jail before he could go to trial. Ng was convicted in 11 homicides in 1999 and sentenced to death. In 1992, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. In 1995, a U.S. F-16 fighter-jet was shot down by a Serb-launched missile while on patrol over Bosnia. The pilot, Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady, ejected safely and landed behind Serb lines. He was rescued six days later. In 1997, a federal jury in Denver convicted Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. He was sentenced to death and executed June 11, 2001. In 2004, Ken Jennings won his first game on Jeopardy! It started a string that ended after a record 74 wins and more than $2.5 million in winnings. File Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI In 2010, a 52-year-old British taxi driver was accused of a shooting rampage in which 13 people were slain and 11 others injured before he killed himself. In 2014, Seattle's City Council approved a $15 hourly minimum wage -- the highest in the United States. In 2024, Mexicans elect former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum as their first female and first Jewish president. File Photo by Mario Guzman/EPA-EFE
