QUANTICO, Va. -- The mission of the Office of Special Investigations Office of Special Projects (PJ) is to deliver robust and flexible multi-disciplined security and investigative services to special programs.
The support provided by members of OSI PJ Detachment 9, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, D.C., became an integral part of a significant milestone recently.
Mr. Jeff Wilson, F-35 Program Security Officer, PJ, Det. 9, and Special Agent Aaron Garcia, Deputy PSO / Counterintelligence Joint Program Office (JPO) Lead, PJ Det. 9, led a team of 12 to help Lockheed Martin and the F-35 JPO, deliver its 500th F-35 aircraft in March, 2020.
In February, 2020, the aircraft surpassed 250,000 flight hours.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to be part of establishing the largest Department of Defense acquisition program to date,” said Wilson. “Our success would not have been possible without the global support of OSI and our joint and international partners.”
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, is the DoD's focal point for defining affordable next generation strike aircraft weapon systems for the U.S Air Force, Marines Corps, Navy and our allies. The F-35 will bring cutting-edge technologies to the battlespace of the future.
The Air Force received the 500th production aircraft, which will be delivered to Burlington Air National Guard Base, Vt. To date, 354 F-35A, conventional takeoff and landing, 108 F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing, and 38 F-35C carrier variants have been delivered to the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, international cooperative partners and Foreign Military Sales customers.
The F-35 operates from 23 bases worldwide. More than 1,000 pilots and over 9,000 maintainers have been trained to fly and maintain the aircraft. Nine nations use the F-35 from their home soil, eight countries have declared Initial Operating Capability, while the U.S. and Israel have employed F-35s in combat operations.
OSI PJ is the centerpiece of 21st Century Global Security providing key program security oversight and counterintelligence support to the largest DoD and international program in history.
“I’m privileged to work as a Program Security Officer and counterintelligence lead within the JSF Program. This great opportunity has enabled me to see and accomplish things in a dynamic, U.S. multi-service and international environment,” SA Garcia said. “The experiences I’ve gained from participating in the JSF effort are not found in any other program. I’m truly thankful to OSI for entrusting me with this unique position that has global impact!”