Why are only half of America's F-35s ready for a fight?

Just days after a Marine Corps F-35B went missing over South Carolina, a government watchdog released a scathing report on the stealth fighter’s readiness rates across the force. According to the Government Accountability Office’s findings, just 55% of America’s 400+ F-35s are mission-capable at any given time. But without broader context, what can we really make of these figures? Let's dive into it. 📱 Follow Sandboxx News on social Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandboxxnews Instagram: https://instagram.com/sandboxxnews Facebook: https://facebook.com/sandboxxnews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sandboxxnews 📱 Follow Alex Hollings on social Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexHollings52 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexhollings52 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexHollings... TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/alexhollings52 📱 Follow Hector Tinoco on social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinoco.phot... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hector-ti... TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hector.tco Citations: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105341.pdf https://breakingdefense.com/2023/09/only-55-percent-of-f-35s-mission-capable-putting-depot-work-in-spotlight-gao/ https://www.sandboxx.us/news/offsetting-chinas-stealth-fighter-advantage-an-in-depth-analysis/ https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58942 https://breakingdefense.com/2023/09/only-55-percent-of-f-35s-mission-capable-putting-depot-work-in-spotlight-gao/ https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105995 https://www.sandboxx.us/news/stealth-fighters-by-the-numbers/ https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-j-20-fighter-with-long-awaited-ws-15-engines-may-have-flown https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/02/14/us-air-force-fleets-mission-capable-rates-are-stagnating-heres-the-plan-to-change-that/