The Pentagon is investigating how F-35 components were diverted through Hong Kong after a routing warning was missed during shipment.
A late-May shipment of F-35 components from Australia to San Francisco was diverted through Hong Kong after a UPS employee missed export-control instructions, according to people briefed on the incident.
The shipment contained an F-35 cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door treated with radar-absorbing material, according to reports cited by suaragarut.
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The components were sent to the United States for potential repair or disposal.
DSV, acting for F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, had warned handlers that the parts could not transit certain countries under US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to sources cited by briefs.
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The shipment was initially scheduled to pass through South Korea and Taiwan, both US defense partners.
A person familiar with the incident said it was instead diverted through Hong Kong after the shipment left Australia behind schedule.
The person said DSV's warning may have been delivered through an IT platform different from the system used by the UPS employee.
DSV spokesman Stephan Ghisler-Solvang and UPS spokesman Malcolm Berkley declined to comment.
Lockheed Martin manages a large share of the global F-35 spare-parts pool supporting the United States and 19 other countries.
The company said carrier selection and logistics decisions involve its broader process.
"Our logistics decisions are not made unilaterally," Lockheed Martin said.
Lockheed Martin later addressed the newly reported timeline and said it was working with the logistics partner involved.
The company said preventive measures were being developed after the incident.
"While we cannot discuss the details of which logistics partner was involved, we are working closely with them to help develop and implement preventive measures to strengthen our collective oversight and prevent recurrence."
Lockheed Martin said.
After the account was presented, Lockheed Martin issued another response on Wednesday.
The company said it had no further correction to make regarding the reported sequence of events.
"We have nothing to add or correct on the series of events you mentioned." Lockheed Martin said.
The Pentagon briefed staff from the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees for about an hour on Sept.
29, according to briefs. co.
The Defense Department said the components were unserviceable and that investigations were underway.
The Defense Department said it was coordinating with US authorities and industry partners to recover the components and strengthen safeguards.
Pentagon officials also described efforts to prevent a recurrence.
"We are actively working with U. S.
authorities and industry partners to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence."
The Pentagon said.
US Transportation Command separately rejected any role in moving or coordinating the shipment.
Its statement addressed the command's involvement in the transportation process.
"Was not involved in the transportation or coordination of the shipment in question." US Transportation Command said.
Erica Plath, the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary responsible for defense logistics, assembled a team to develop measures intended to prevent another occurrence, according to the person familiar with the congressional briefing.
A State Department compliance officer was also examining the diversion.
Lawmakers have sought additional answers about the shipment and defense supply-chain controls.
Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota who leads the Armed Services Committee panel examining the incident, questioned whether the diversion was deliberate.
"Did China have a plan all along to intercept this?" Senator Kevin Cramer said.
Senator Mark Warner requested the Pentagon briefing, while committee chairman Senator Tom Cotton called for an examination of the defense supply chain, according to briefs.
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Diana Maurer of the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, who leads oversight of F-35 sustainment assessments, said the loss was significant because China has sought intelligence on the aircraft for years.
"It's not good the Chinese now have" an F-35 canopy. Diana Maurer said.
Maurer also discussed the potential intelligence value of the component and the possibility that Chinese authorities could examine its technical characteristics.
"I'm sure the Chinese celebrated and then they got busy trying to reverse engineer it and figure out how to counter it with their own technical capabilities."
Diana Maurer said.
