Air Force maintenance units have spent nearly a decade quietly purchasing thousands of high‑end combat knives and other luxury blades with taxpayer money, according to a new investigation by Austin Campbell at The Intercept.
The investigation reveals that maintainers across multiple bases and major commands have routinely ordered knives marketed for combat use — not aircraft repair — and have distributed them informally as perks, despite chronic shortages of essential maintenance supplies.
Procurement records, or documents that show purchases by government agencies, form the backbone of the investigation. The Intercept obtained these records through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. These FOIA‑released documents detail years of knife purchases across Air Force maintenance units and enabled The Intercept to map the scale, duration, and distribution of the spending.
The records, combined with interviews and previous reporting across nine bases and multiple commands, paint a picture of a procurement system in which convenience and loopholes often outweigh operational need.
The knives, often referred to euphemistically as “box cutters,” are anything but ordinary utility tools. As the article explains, “the blades slide out at the push of a button, revealing high-end knives made and marketed for active combat.” These items, including the Benchmade Infidel and Mini Infidel, typically cost the government hundreds of dollars each. Over the years, maintenance units have spent more than $1.79 million on 5,166 knives and similar luxury items, even as they have struggled to obtain basic materials like safety wire, hydraulic fluids, and calibrated test equipment.
The purchases span at least from 2017 through June 2025, cutting across multiple major commands. Maintainers interviewed by The Intercept say the knives have no legitimate maintenance purpose and are often banned on the flightline. One former noncommissioned officer, recently discharged from Hill Air Force Base, told the outlet, “Everyone knew we didn’t need them.” He added, “There was literally zero justification in any maintenance field.”
The article places the knife‑buying spree in the context of a military budget approaching $1 trillion, with roughly $300 billion allocated to the Air Force.
While the total spent on knives represents a tiny fraction of that budget, the article argues that the purchases illustrate how frivolous spending can persist inside a massive bureaucracy with limited oversight. Maintainers describe a culture in which nonessential items flow easily through the supply system, while critical tools are delayed or unavailable. A procurement expert interviewed by The Intercept suggested that misclassification within the supply system has likely enabled the knives to be ordered without scrutiny.
The knives’ popularity among maintainers appears to stem from a mix of convenience, novelty, and an informal workplace culture. Some maintainers say the ability to order a high‑end knife for free feels like one of the few perks available in an otherwise understaffed and overworked environment.
Others described a system of favors and informal relationships with supply personnel that makes it easy to obtain luxury items. Maintainers emphasize that the knives have no practical use in aircraft repair and, in some cases, pose safety concerns.
The investigation focuses on the broader strain on Air Force maintenance units. Accounting for roughly a quarter of all Air Force personnel, maintainers are responsible for the upkeep of about 5,000 aircraft.
Many told The Intercept they are chronically understaffed and forced to work long hours to keep aircraft flying. One active‑duty senior airman from the 57th Maintenance Wing at Nellis Air Force Base said, “It always felt like we were just putting duct tape on these jets to keep them flying.” He noted that while essential tools are often scarce, “there would be brand-new computers or unit flags to make the unit look better.”
The knife purchases reflect deeper structural issues within the Air Force’s procurement system. Essential maintenance supplies require justification, oversight, and sometimes lengthy approval processes. By contrast, the knives — misclassified as routine tools — can be ordered quickly and with minimal scrutiny.
This discrepancy, maintainers say, has created perverse incentives: it is easier to obtain a $300 combat knife than a spool of safety wire.
The investigation also highlights the lack of centralized oversight. Because procurement is handled at the unit level, and because the knives are spread across multiple commands and bases, no single authority appears to track or question the purchases.
