SARAH HOYT’S SHOCKED FACE IS IN REMISSION: Delay-prone F-35 program was led by DEI advocates, rewarded by Biden for late deliveries.

Major defense contractors prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion while regularly missing deadlines related to a multitrillion-dollar aircraft modernization effort. Despite this, they received sizable bonuses designed to incentivize on-time delivery from the Biden administration.

Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney were the two primary contractors tasked with assisting the Defense Department in “fielding and modernizing” F-35 fighter jets. Aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin ranged from a low of 16 days late on average in 2021 all the way up to an average of 238 days late in 2024, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. Jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, meanwhile, only managed to deliver two engines on time for the entire period between 2021 and 2024 while working on the modernization effort.

Despite this, the GAO report notes that the duo of defense contractors received “hundreds of millions of dollars in incentive fees that were intended to improve on time delivery.”

A review of social media and other public web pages shows that contractors were heavily invested in DEI, at times directly within the F-35 program, while chronically failing to meet the Pentagon’s deadlines.

But everyone involved had up-to-minute personal pronouns, and I assume any kickbacks were equally timely.