# Cotton Seeks F-35 Supply Chain Review

On September 29, 2026, Senator Tom Cotton asked Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to review security controls for military supplies moving through contractor-managed and commercial supply chains. The request follows reports that F-35 components shipped from Australia to the United States were diverted to Hong Kong and taken into the Chinese government’s possession. Contractors and carriers may face increased scrutiny of custody, tracking, routing changes, and transit through foreign jurisdictions; the request itself does not establish a new binding requirement or announce a contract action.

- Defense contractors and logistics providers handling military equipment can evaluate whether their procedures adequately document chain of custody, shipment tracking, routing changes, and foreign-jurisdiction transit—the areas identified in the signal.
- Procurement teams may need to account for supply-chain security controls and traceability when managing or assessing contractor and carrier performance, particularly for sensitive components.
- The signal points to possible heightened scrutiny, not a specified deadline or new compliance mandate; no contract value, solicitation, or procurement deadline is identified.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Transportation
**Published:** September 30, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of War (DoW)
- U.S. Senate

### Vendors
- Lockheed Martin (Contractor managing the F-35 supply chain)

### Key Quotes
> Securing these supply chains is critical to ensuring that our warfighters around the world have access to the most advanced equipment and technology and to ensuring that our adversaries do not gain access to U.S. technology.
> — Tom Cotton, United States Senator

### Sources
- [Cotton to Hegseth: Review Military Supply Chain Security - Senator Tom Cotton](https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-hegseth-review-military-supply-chain-security/) - Cotton Senate