F-35 program chief warns growth has outpaced sustainability

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Masiello, head of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning joint program, told senators the fighter fleet has outgrown the system built to sustain it. With more than 1,300 jets flying worldwide against a support network sized for 700 to 800, readiness has hit record lows as only one in four U.S. aircraft is fully mission capable.

Weeks after a Government Accountability Office report flagged the worst readiness numbers on record, Masiello appeared before the Senate Airland Subcommittee in late June 2026. It was the first time an F-35 program leader testified there since 2016, when the fleet stood at roughly 170 aircraft. Today it exceeds 1,300 operational jets across 42 bases and 23 aircraft carriers worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Lt. Gen. Gregory Masiello said the F-35 sustainment system was built for 700–800 aircraft but now supports more than 1,300.
• GAO found only 25% of U.S. F-35s were fully mission capable in fiscal 2025, down from 38% in 2021.
• The Pentagon launched a $13.7 billion Global Support Solution Reset targeting 80% mission capability by 2030.
• Masiello blamed years of underbuying spare parts, not a broken support model.
• Lifetime U.S. sustainment costs for the fleet are estimated at $1.6 trillion through 2088.

Why has the F-35 fleet outgrown its support system?

Masiello told lawmakers the challenge is scale, not design failure. The sustainment architecture was planned when the program expected a far smaller footprint. "If I have over 1,300 operational aircraft out there, I believe we have set and enabled a sustainment system for about 7 to 800," he said.

He pointed to years of under-purchasing spare parts as the fleet expanded. In a related video statement, he put it bluntly: "We didn't put enough parts and pieces on the shelf." Allied growth adds pressure, as partner nations now operate the majority of F-35s in key theaters, and Poland has signaled plans to double its order.

How bad is F-35 readiness right now?

The GAO's June 2026 report paints a stark picture. Only about one in four U.S. F-35s is fully mission capable, meaning it can perform every assigned mission set. The broader mission-capable rate, for jets ready for at least one task, fell from 67% in fiscal 2021 to 44% in fiscal 2025.

NewsNation reported that GAO defense director Diana Maurer said the Pentagon spent decades focused on building the aircraft without equal planning for repairs and parts. The watchdog noted sustainment costs keep rising while performance goals go unmet.

Masiello cited a 56% mission-capable rate using program methodology, above GAO's 44%, but did not dispute the one-in-four fully capable figure. Simple Flying noted software delays, parts shortages, and maintenance backlogs among factors dragging readiness down.

What is the Pentagon doing to fix F-35 sustainment?

The Joint Program Office launched the Global Support Solution Reset in June 2025. The roughly $13.7 billion plan through fiscal 2031 targets spares, depot capacity, maintenance plans, and related gaps. The goal is 80% mission capable and 65% fully mission capable by 2030.

Masiello's fiscal 2027 budget request bundles more than $13 billion for the jet, including 85 U.S. aircraft and Block 4 modernization funding. He warned partial funding would slow production. Officials caution readiness may worsen before the reset delivers results.

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