Pentagon doubles down on cutting off defense supplies from China after F-35 scare
The Pentagon paused deliveries of new F-35's when it discovered a Chinese component in the aircraft
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The U.S. Defense Department is pushing its contractors to ensure none of their materials are being sourced from China or other U.S. adversaries, according to a Monday report.
The effort comes weeks after the Pentagon paused deliveries of new F-35 fighter jets upon discovery that a component in the craft had been manufactured using a China-sourced alloy.
The DOD is now turning to artificial intelligence to help track its globe-spanning supply chain and limit input from adversaries, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The defense supply chain has been a focus in Washington for years, with a House task force pushing the military to sharpen its supply chain security in 2021.
Defense contractors are already held to a high standard for sourcing their materials from the U.S. or other trustworthy sources. The component that caused the F-35 scare was a magnet used in the aircraft's turbomachine pumps. The magnet was partially constructed from a Chinese-sourced alloy.
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A U.S. F-35 fighter jet flies over the Eifel Mountains near Spangdahlem. The aircraft, built by the U.S. company Lockheed-Martin, is considered the most modern stealth fighter aircraft in the world. (Harald Tittel/picture alliance via Getty Images) ((Photo by Harald Tittel/picture alliance via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. (REUTERS/Axel Schmidt / Reuters Photos)
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Pentagon officials were reportedly alerted to the issue on Aug. 19. Officials said the issue did not affect F-35s that are already in service.
"We have confirmed that the magnet does not transmit information or harm the integrity of the aircraft," F-35 Joint Program Office spokesperson Russell Goemaere told Politico earlier this month.
US Pentagon in Washington DC building looking down aerial view from above (iStock)
"There are no performance, quality, safety or security risks associated with this issue, and flight operations for the F-35 in-service fleet will continue as normal," he added.
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The F-35 is America's fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, and details of its design are a closely-guarded secret.