US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has asked the Pentagon to investigate reports that F-35 components shipped from Australia were diverted to Hong Kong…reports Asian Lite News Desk
Indian-origin US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has called for an investigation into reports that components of America’s advanced F-35 fighter aircraft were diverted to Hong Kong and subsequently taken into the possession of the Chinese government.
Krishnamoorthi, a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, has asked Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for a detailed account of how the components ended up in Hong Kong.
According to material cited by the Illinois Democrat, the shipment originated in Australia and stopped in South Korea before being diverted to Hong Kong. The reported components included an F-35 weapons-bay door and jet canopy.
Krishnamoorthi warned that the possession of the components could potentially expose sensitive information about US military technology.
“According to Bloomberg, the Chinese government took possession of the parts and has not returned them. Possession of F-35 parts could allow the CCP to reverse engineer U.S. stealth technology, threatening our service members and national security,” he wrote to Hegseth.
“Incidents like this simply should not happen, and they raise serious questions over Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial shipping companies’ policies for tracking sensitive U.S. military hardware,” he added.
The congressman has asked the Pentagon to provide a complete account of the shipment’s chain of custody, from its departure from Australia to its reported diversion to Hong Kong.
He also wants the Defence Department to explain why the shipment stopped in South Korea, who authorised the stop and which organisation was responsible for maintaining custody of the components.
Krishnamoorthi has asked whether the diversion was the result of an intentional act, negligence, inadequate safeguards or possible subversion. He also sought information on efforts by the Pentagon to recover the components.
Another issue raised in his letter is the use of commercial shipping to transport F-35 components. Krishnamoorthi asked what criteria the Pentagon uses to determine whether sensitive F-35 parts can be transported through commercial networks and whether those rules would now be reconsidered.
He has also requested an assessment of the potential national security implications if China has obtained the components.
The lawmaker wants the Pentagon to determine whether examination or reverse engineering of the parts could provide information about F-35 capabilities, materials or other sensitive technologies.
Krishnamoorthi further asked whether the Pentagon is aware of other cases involving F-35 parts or sensitive military components being lost, diverted or routed through China, Hong Kong or territories controlled by US adversaries.
The reported incident has also raised broader questions about accountability within the international supply chain supporting the F-35 programme.
“The F-35 Program supply chain clearly needs more oversight. According to a 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, more than a million F-35 spare parts that were collectively worth $85 million went missing over a five-year period. DOD only investigated 2% of those lost parts,” Krishnamoorthi wrote.
He has asked Hegseth to explain why the Pentagon has not fully implemented four recommendations made by the GAO in 2023 concerning accountability for the F-35 global spare-parts pool.
Krishnamoorthi has requested a response from Hegseth by October 12.
The F-35 is a fifth-generation combat aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin and operated by the United States and several allied countries. Its technologies, including systems designed to reduce its radar detectability, are closely protected by the US government.
