The Pentagon blocked the public release of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) annual F-35 report for the first time in over 20 years. Officials designated the assessment as Controlled Unclassified Information, preventing public transparency for the world's most expensive weapons program.
The GAO report provides independent oversight for Lockheed Martin’s most significant revenue driver. These reports historically detail cost overruns, production delays, and performance issues. Last year’s assessment noted the F-35 program "continues to overpromise and underdeliver."
Congressional defense committees received a classified version of the report. However, the public withholding obscures potential issues within the multi-billion dollar project. This decision ends two decades of routine disclosure regarding the fighter jet's development.