Pentagon Delayed Notification of Jet Fuel Leak at Joint Base Andrews

The Pentagon learned in December 2025 that Joint Base Andrews had failed a leak safety test on its fuel system. The base is located about 10 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. Pentagon officials did not inform Maryland of the jet fuel leak until late March 2026.

Notification came only after someone on the base observed oil in a nearby freshwater creek. Even then, the Pentagon withheld information about a second leak for two additional weeks. The Maryland Department of the Environment stated that the base failed to promptly disclose the leaks as required by its state oil permit and did not report the full extent of the discharge until April 8, 2026.

Joint Base Andrews has lost at least 32,000 gallons of jet fuel in total. An unknown quantity reached Piscataway Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. State officials have said that jet fuel is no longer flowing into the creek, although the environmental risks remain unclear because the precise location of all leaked fuel is unknown.

The incident ranks among the more significant jet fuel leaks from a U.S. military base in recent years. It follows a pattern in which the Pentagon has at times delayed notifying the public about environmental issues at its installations. Maryland legislators sent a letter to the Air Force requesting a complete timeline.

The letter expressed concern about the delay between the base's discovery of the leak and when the state received full information on the spill volume. The legislators also noted existing PFAS contamination linked to the base, which has affected the surrounding area.

Joint Base Andrews has not yet provided details on any PFAS cleanup efforts. PFAS are synthetic chemicals associated with health risks including weakened immunity.

The episode has drawn comparisons to a 2021 jet fuel leak at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. That leak involved 19,000 gallons and affected the drinking water supply for 93,000 people. Residents reported symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal issues to neurological effects.

A subsequent Pentagon Inspector General review found that Navy personnel knew shortly after the spill that it consisted mostly of fuel. The review also determined that the Navy had stated the water was safe without conducting laboratory analysis to confirm it.

Cleanup costs for toxic waste at military sites have been estimated at $28 billion by one investigation, while the federal government projects annual PFAS remediation expenses at military communities around $7 billion.