Pentagon blocks F-35 review for first time in over 20 years

For the first time in over 20 years, the Pentagon has blocked the public release of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) annual review of the F-35 fighter jet program, citing the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) label. The $1.6 trillion program's assessment, completed on June 25, was deemed to contain CUI, preventing any part of the report from being made public. Only the title, "F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Update on Production and Modernisation Efforts," is available. The GAO has conducted these reviews annually since Congress mandated them in 2005. Jon Ludwigson, a director in the GAO's contracting and national security acquisitions office who supervised the report, stated this is the first year any acquisition review has been restricted due to CUI. The censored report was still provided to lawmakers on Congress's four defense committees, continuing updates on F-35 modernization progress. The CUI label has faced criticism for allowing the Defense Department to withhold data from the public.