A new IG audit finds DoD isn’t fully tracking F‑35 contractor performance, raising questions about oversight on the Pentagon’s costliest program episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 12, 2026 · 14 MIN

A new IG audit finds DoD isn’t fully tracking F‑35 contractor performance, raising questions about oversight on the Pentagon’s costliest program

from The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The F‑35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, and the Department relies on contractors to keep it performing as promised. But a new DoD Inspector General audit says the Department isn’t consistently tracking or documenting that performance, leaving gaps that affect cost, schedule, and readiness. We'll look at what the auditors found and what DoD is doing about it with Chris DePerro, Supervisory Auditor, Program Director, Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The F‑35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, and the Department relies on contractors to keep it performing as promised. But a new DoD Inspector General audit says the Department isn’t consistently tracking or documenting that performance, leaving gaps that affect cost, schedule, and readiness. We'll look at what the auditors found and what DoD is doing about it with Chris DePerro, Supervisory Auditor, Program Director, Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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A new IG audit finds DoD isn’t fully tracking F‑35 contractor performance, raising questions about oversight on the Pentagon’s costliest program

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This episode was published on February 12, 2026.

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The F‑35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, and the Department relies on contractors to keep it performing as promised. But a new DoD Inspector General audit says the Department isn’t consistently tracking or documenting that...

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