Guest article by ‘Unruly Architect’ [Upscrolled/@CAAMH]– originally published in Spotlight newspaper – thanks to Koser Saeed for kind permission to repost.
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A Pentagon audit provides indisputable evidence that there is absolutely a “clear risk”, having identified significant portions of the $13.4 billion in military aid to Israel that has disappeared since October 2023.
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The Pentagon recently made a shocking admission that it “did not properly track significant portions of the $13.4 billion” in military aid to Israel since October 2023, and that it was “unable to track 42 deliveries totalling more than four million munitions.”
The Department of Defence didn’t conduct Enhanced End-Use Monitoring (EEUM), in accordance with its Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM), in Israel after October 2023.
The report acknowledges that by not complying with the SAMM requirements… “the DoD did not ensure full accountability of sensitive U.S. EEUM defence articles provided to Israel”, and so failed to “ensure compliance with technology control requirements… to prevent misuse or unauthorised transfer of defence articles or services from title transfer until disposal,” adding that “without effective accountability, these EEUM defence articles could be misused, in violation of transfer terms and conditions” and could have been “acquired by adversaries in the region who could then have firsthand access and knowledge of sensitive U.S. weapon systems technology, decreasing the technological advantage in the battlefield and increasing the risks to the United States, partner nations, and allies.”
In December 2025, the Military Times reported that the Pentagon had only maintained records for about 44% of the defence articles that should have been subject to enhanced monitoring – down from 69% before the war in Gaza began. The article revealed that investigators have warned “such lapses increase the risk of sensitive U.S. weapons technology falling into the hands of hostile actors.” Shockingly, despite the US government admitting that their weapons tracking system has failed on a monumental scale, Trade Secretary Peter Kyle is still pressing ahead with plans to restart arms exports to Israel.
F-35 aircraft incorporating UK-made parts are central to Israel’s Gaza bombing campaign. Britain builds 15% of every F-35 fighter jet in the world. This includes rear fuselages made by BAE Systems in Samlesbury, Lancashire, and targeting lasers produced by Leonardo in Edinburgh. These parts go into a US-managed pool and are then re-exported to Israel under special “incorporation” licences.
In September 2024, David Lammy suspended about 30 (out of 350) UK arms licences to Israel, following concerns over Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law, having identified a “clear risk” of misuse in Gaza. However, Lammy exempted the F-35 licences, stating at the time that Britain “cannot undermine the global supply chain vital for NATO security.” The remaining 300+ licences supposedly did not raise concerns of ‘clear risk’ (a line that would be repeated again and again).
A recent redacted Pentagon Audit, (from December 2025), shows that the US has been unable to track millions of munitions since October 2023. To be clear, the Pentagon Audit now provides indisputable evidence that there is absolutely a “clear risk”, having identified significant portions of the $13.4 billion in military aid to Israel that has disappeared since October 2023.
Surprisingly, UK law doesn’t even require absolute proof that British parts were used in a specific strike. Under Section 5 of the Export Control Act 2002, ministers are required to refuse or suspend licences where there is a “clear risk” that exported items might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. Needless to say, where a supply chain cannot track weapons, it cannot credibly guarantee their lawful end use.
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) has stated that it rejects that supply chain issues are a legitimate basis for a decision to grant an arms export licence, particularly when the government admits there’s a clear risk that these items might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. They demand the UK should meet its international obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, Geneva Convention, or the Genocide Convention.
In January, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), issued a joint Civil Society Statement on UK Arms Licences to Israel, condemning the UK government’s move to unblock arms licences to Israel. They say that the government’s position was already untenable in September 2024, when they temporarily suspended just 8.6% of total licences, almost a full year after Israel’s onslaught on Gaza began, which had killed thousands of trapped Palestinians, including many children. The ICJP points out that “the partial ban created a loophole, known as the ‘F-35 carve-out’”, removing F-35 aircraft components from the suspension list so they could continue to be exported, reminding us that in July 2024, Israel used F-35s to drop 2000lb bombs on Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, killing 90 Palestinians in a so-called ‘safe zone’.
The ICJP declares that the situation on the ground in Gaza is even worse now than the conditions that existed when the government took the decision to suspend the export licences. Israel continues to refuse the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Palestinian political detainees, and the blockade of aid to Gaza is still in place. Additionally, “Israel has actively introduced new disruptions to aid distribution in Gaza, including its revocation of the licences of 37 international non-governmental organisations working on aid provision in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The government’s argument is that even if any of their F-35 customers reach the “clear risk” threshold, they still can’t observe their domestic and international legal obligations because the F-35 programme cannot be changed without agreement from all the partner nations (which include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the United States). However, CAAT points out that in February 2024, another F-35 partner, the Netherlands, halted its F-35 exports, after a court found ‘clear risk’ of IHL violations in Gaza. This decision was further upheld by the Dutch government in October 2025, which chose to continue an embargo even after the country’s top court gave it 6 weeks to review the policy.
CAAT also believes that the UK ‘can’ also act independently because the ATT/EU Common Position requires individual risk assessment, and the UK Export Control Act overrides any loyalty to NATO. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice found a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to take provisional measures in order to protect the Palestinian people from “a real and imminent risk of irreparable harm.” The ICJ’s advisory opinion (October 2025) reinforced the duties on states not to aid or assist serious breaches in the occupied Palestinian territory, and Article I of the Genocide Convention further stipulates a clear duty “to prevent and to punish”.
The warnings have been very public in some cases. In December 2025, four former senior British Army officers called on the UK government to impose a full arms embargo on Israel, and ban any involvement with Israeli-owned or Israeli-supported military companies. Brigadier John Deverell, Major-General Andrew Graham, retired Major General Peter Currie and Major General Charlie Herbert wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanding a “complete cessation of arms exports to Israel” and an end to all military collaboration. They warned that the government’s position left the UK open to accusations of complicity in “well-documented” war crimes. Despite these and other similar warnings, MP Zarah Sultana obtained Israeli Tax Authority data in May 2025, which showed that since October 2023, in addition to armoured vehicle parts, the UK continued to export at least 150,000 bullets and 8,630 other munitions (in the category of ‘bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles’) to Israel, and this all happened at a time when Labour ministers were publicly reassuring Parliament that the licensing system was robust, after the suspension of 30 arms-export licences in September.
Despite the Pentagon Audit being a public (albeit redacted) official government report, the bullets and munitions figures being publicly reported, and the ICJ rulings being in the public domain, there has been zero mainstream media coverage of this story and certainly no questions raised as to why the UK government still insists on feeding a weapons pipeline that the US itself acknowledges it cannot properly monitor.
WHAT CAN YOU DO:
The UK government is ignoring UK and international law and the mainstream media is complicit in its silence. We can all put pressure on our MPs asking them to oppose any reopening of licences, to support a full weapons embargo, and to back a halt to trade that sustains illegal settlements…
- Find your MP here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP and copy their email address.
- Click: tinyurl.com/IsraelsArmsLicencesMustStop to launch the draft letter in your emails
- Read /edit the letter to personalise it
- Paste your MPs email into the address bar
- Remember to SIGN YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS (otherwise your MP can ignore you) and press send!
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DRAFT EMAIL TO PERSONALISE:
SUBJECT: URGENT – BLOCK ISRAEL ARMS LICENCE REOPENING: PENTAGON AUDIT PROVES TRACKING FAILURE
Dear [MP Name],
Science Secretary Peter Kyle has confirmed the government will review the 30 arms export licences suspended in September 2024 for “clear risk” of IHL violations in Gaza. Reopening them is legally untenable.
PENTAGON INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT (22-23 December 2025) proves catastrophic US tracking failure:
“The Department did not properly track significant portions of the $13.4 billion [aid to Israel since October 2023].”
“Unable to track 42 deliveries totalling more than four million munitions” (Oct 2023-Apr 2024).
Compliance monitoring collapsed to 44% by November 2024.
This destroys Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s September 2024 defence for exempting F-35 “incorporation” licences: “We cannot undermine the global supply chain vital for NATO security.”
UK components (15% of every F-35) — BAE Systems rear fuselages from Samlesbury, Leonardo MW targeting lasers — enter this Pentagon-admitted untracked system destined for Israel.
No end-use verification. No diversion safeguards. No supply chain integrity.
Export Control Act 2002 Section 5 mandates refusal where “clear risk” of serious IHL violations exists. Pentagon’s “did not properly track” admission creates that exact risk.
CONFIRMED UK MUNITIONS SUPPLY:
– Zarah Sultana’s Israeli Tax Authority data: 150,000 UK bullets, 8,630 munitions since Oct 2023 (post partial suspension).
– F-35s with UK parts: Israel’s primary munitions delivery platform in Gaza.
– Four senior ex-British Army officers to PM Starmer (23 Dec 2025): Demand complete arms embargo.
LEGAL OBLIGATIONS:
– ICJ Provisional Measures (26 Jan 2024): Plausible genocide risk.
– ICJ Advisory Opinion (Oct 2025): Israel’s legal breaches confirmed.
– Genocide Convention Article I: UK’s prevention duty.
YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:
- PUBLICLY OPPOSE licence reopening – table Early Day Motion for full arms embargo.
- WRITE Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper demanding permanent F-35 suspension citing Pentagon audit.
- DEMAND Commons disclosure of all Israel licences since 7 Oct 2023 (munitions/F-35 itemised).
- CHALLENGE ministers – NATO “supply chain” claim is demonstrably false.
With licences reopening imminently, please confirm your action plan within 7 days.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address or your MP can ignore you]
