--- title: "Right to repair: Why the US military can’t fix much of its own equipment" description: "Restrictive purchase agreements leave troops unable to fix the expensive ships, fighter jets, and ground vehicles they depend on." date: "2026-04-03" modified: "2026-04-03" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/us-military-right-to-repair/" categories: - "Tech & Tactics" - "Video" --- # Right to repair: Why the US military can’t fix much of its own equipment ![A maintenance crew comprised of AH-64 Attack Helicopter Repairers assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment "Sabers", 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, rebuild a rotor head after a static mass repair on a AH-64 Apache Helicopter at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii from February 2-25, 2026. This repair took place during aerial gunnery. For AH-64 Apache crews, aerial gunnery is a semi-annual requirement necessary to maintain proficiency of aircrews, and allows the unit to build a more reliable combat power. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Olivia Cowart)]() *A maintenance crew rebuild a rotor head on a AH-64 Apache Helicopter at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, in February 2026. Army photo by Sgt. Olivia Cowart.* The U.S. military often can’t fix parts of jets, ships, infantry fighting vehicles, and other equipment because they are not allowed to under the contracts the Pentagon signs with manufacturers. Instead, only the manufacturer can fix the equipment, which is a problem in a combat zone or out on a far-flung training exercise. That means fighter jets worth tens of millions of taxpayer dollars wind up [grounded for months]() on a deployment. The Navy pays millions to [fly contractors out to sea]() and make repairs that sailors aboard those very ships could make themselves. “Right to repair” is the catch-all term for the effort to give service members more authority to fix the equipment they rely on, but a bipartisan effort in Congress to do that fell short last year. ## Pay to play? Technical data is at the heart of “right to repair.” Troops use technical data to diagnose and fix a broken part, or to make a replacement using a 3-D printer, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine, or similar device. But military equipment manufacturers tend to guard that data, saying it falls under the intellectual property they invested in developing. Up until the early 1990s, the Pentagon routinely bought [complete technical data packages]() that let troops and military civilians repair equipment or bid the work out to other contractors at competitive prices. That began to change during President Bill Clinton’s administration, which encouraged the defense industry to consolidate, shrinking [from 51]() aerospace and defense prime contractors in the early 1990s to just five today. Analysts say fewer companies mean less competition, so the Pentagon has less bargaining power over things like intellectual property. Government watchdogs say the Pentagon also [struggles to forecast and negotiate its intellectual property needs](), which leaves troops short-handed when equipment breaks. ## ‘It felt ridiculous’ The F-35 is one example of the ripple effects of these policies. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps maintainers said the lack of technical data prevents them from making routine repairs to many F-35 components, according to a 2023 Government Accountability Office [report](). Maintainers “had grown frustrated at not being able to make simple repairs to aircraft components that they have historically made on other fighter aircraft fleets,” the watchdog wrote. “F-35 maintainers at one location told us that they have access to so little technical information on the aircraft that they do not fully understand the aircraft or how to troubleshoot common problems. As a result, the maintainers frequently rely on contractor personnel for assistance in maintenance tasks they would be otherwise qualified to complete.” Another example is the Littoral Combat Ship. According to a 2023 ProPublica [investigation](), the Navy had to delay missions for weeks and spend millions of dollars to send contractors to sea to make simple fixes like changing fuses on a crane. “I would hesitate to say we ever did a mission,” one naval surface warfare officer told ProPublica. “An average week would consist of 90 to 100 hours in port doing, honestly, nothing. It felt ridiculous. Many times we were there just because we had to be there.” ## Safeguarding innovation Defense industry associations argue that “right to repair” [threatens]() their intellectual property, which discourages investment in the research and development necessary to keep the U.S. military on the technological cutting-edge. But a Pentagon study released in 2023 [casts doubt]() on that argument. The Pentagon directly funds billions of dollars of research [every year](). And when defense contractors spend their own money on research that benefits the government, the contractor can claim it as a reimbursable cost. In fact, due to the nature of government contracts, defense companies often make more money when they spend more money on research, the study said. The government’s reimbursement of defense-related research and development is far more generous than it is in the commercial world, the study said, which is an effective way to encourage contractors to pursue research that benefits the military. ## Congressional standstill Last year, “Right to repair” provisions enjoyed [bipartisan]() support from both chambers of Congress, the [highest ranks]() of the military and from officials within President Donald Trump’s administration at [the Pentagon]() and [the White House](). But none of the provisions made it into the final defense authorization bill. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) seemed to [blame]() the omission on the defense industry’s sway on Capitol Hill, but they vowed to “keep fighting” for future right-to-repair laws. Learn more about right-to-repair by watching our latest YouTube video [here](). ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()