U.S. Struggles to Replenish Munitions Stocks

"More than a year after start of dramatic events in Ukraine, U.S. plans to increase production of key munitions have fallen short because of shortages of chips, machinery and skilled workers.

Arms makers have added factory shifts, ordered new equipment and streamlined supply chains to boost output of Javelin antitank missiles, artillery shells, guided rockets and much more, which Ukrainian forces are firing by the thousands at the Russians.

Years of stop-start Pentagon funding for munitions led companies to close production lines or quit the industry, while output of many components and raw materials moved overseas. Defense Department chiefs estimate the decline will take five or six years to reverse.

"We want to get the fragility out of the system, so if this ever happens again, it's six months instead of three years to get a meaningful improvement in capacity," said Jim Taiclet, chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corp.

The U.S. has committed to giving Kyiv more than $36 billion in arms to fight the Russians, including hundreds of thousands of rounds of munitions for howitzers, tanks, portable rocket launchers and advanced guided-missile systems.

The Ukrainians have been firing as many as 3,000 shells a day at Russian positions, and stocks are low in both the U.S. and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, especially in 155mm howitzer shells, an ammunition that has been crucial.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon and the defense industry are looking at the next major national security challenge: deterring, and if necessary, fighting, China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Howitzer shells are a big focus of the defense industry's push: The major manufacturers plan to boost production sixfold by 2028. The munitions are mainly made in aging, government-owned facilities run by private companies, including General Dynamics Corp. and American Ordnance, a unit of Day & Zimmermann.

The U.S. Army has committed $18 billion over the next several years, adding $3 billion over the past year, to revamp bomb-making factories and the facilities that service military equipment, which Army Secretary Christine Wormuth described as "vintage" in a congressional hearing on April 19.

Under pressure from lawmakers and Pentagon leaders, the Army and defense companies hatched broad plans last summer to double output of some of the most widely used munitions over the next two years. Production is rising, but at a slower pace than originally hoped.

The Pentagon is also awarding contracts for items such as steel, alongside efforts to bring back production of raw materials used to make explosives and batteries.

Defense companies said they still need more clarity on future demand." [1]

 

1. World News: U.S. Struggles to Replenish Munitions Stocks
Cameron, Doug.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 01 May 2023: A.8.