The U.S. Navy has been removing parts from grounded aircraft and submarines to meet maintenance needs due to shortages of spare parts required for timely repairs, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported.

The watchdog reviewed five Navy programs: the F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets, littoral combat ships, the Stryker Combat Vehicle, and Virginia-class attack submarines, to assess how maintenance was being managed.

It found that frequent delivery delays have forced Navy technicians to find workarounds to keep some platforms operational.

“Only that vendor can make the part, and generally, repairs to that part are made on the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s schedule,” the report states.

The GAO also found that the Navy has limited access to technical data and intellectual property, leaving critical technical manuals and engineering drawings incomplete or inaccessible. Without that information, program offices cannot fully perform depot-level maintenance or sustain systems without contractor involvement.

The agency warned that while securing too many data rights can increase program costs, failing to obtain essential information limits the military’s ability to repair its equipment.

“Cannibalization has several adverse impacts, including increasing maintenance costs and workload, and when overused, long-term adverse effects on aircraft availability,” the report added.  

The report comes as the Navy and other branches of the U.S. military advocate for greater “right to repair” authority. Under current rules, service members are often restricted by warranties and intellectual property agreements that prevent them from conducting their own repairs. 

The GAO report follows similar findings on Army and Marine Corps maintenance issues, where troops have also turned to parts scavenging to address maintenance needs.