UPS Email Blunder Let China Obtain F-35 Parts, Report Says
A person briefed on the incident told Bloomberg that freight forwarder DSV, working on behalf of F-35 developer Lockheed Martin, emailed a warning not to route the shipment through Hong Kong. A UPS employee failed to act on it, the source said.
The cargo consisted of a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door coated with radar-absorbing material. Both fall under US arms export rules, which bar such items from passing through certain countries, Bloomberg reported.
The parts were supposed to travel from Australia to San Francisco via South Korea and Taiwan. After leaving Australia behind schedule, they were diverted through Hong Kong to save time, according to the source. The person added that the DSV message may have traveled through a different IT system from the one UPS’s agent was using.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Bloomberg also reported that the parts were being sent back to the US in late May for possible repair or disposal.
According to Bloomberg, Pentagon officials disclosed the details during an hour-long Sept. 29 briefing for staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Erica Plath, deputy assistant secretary of defense for logistics, told attendees her team was working on safeguards. A State Department export control official said the department is investigating.
Lawmakers are demanding answers. Sen. Mark Warner requested the briefing, Sen. Tom Cotton called for a supply chain review, and Sen. Kevin Cramer asked whether China had planned to intercept the shipment, Bloomberg reported.
UPS shares slipped less than 1% following the report.
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