Elon Musk’s tweets criticizing Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as “obsolete in the age of drones” have put defense contractors on alert. The comments led to significant market reactions, including a drop in Lockheed’s stock price, and raised concerns about reforms under President-elect Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-led by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Analysts like Todd Harrison warn contractors to avoid drawing scrutiny, as programs like the F-35 could be targeted as symbols of defense inefficiencies. Byron Callan urges companies to proactively address the need for acquisition reform by collaborating with lawmakers and industry associations to present data supporting their programs. Callan also highlights the persistent delays in defense procurement and calls for acknowledgment and action to address systemic dysfunction.
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