As Ukraine prepares for a much-anticipated spring offensive in the coming weeks, the US is still years away from reaching its expected level of increased weapons production. But even as the US embarks on an historic effort to re-arm, there are questions about whether it’ll be enough. Much of that strain is being shouldered by American defense contractors. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that the “current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production,” which is putting “our defense industries under strain.” Ukrainian servicemen fire artillery near the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine January 5, 2023. Members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an alliance of 54 countries supporting the defense of Ukraine, talked head on about the challenges of continuing to keep Ukraine’s military well-supplied. The topic of dwindling munitions supplies was front and center during a crucial meeting in Brussels this week. “We realized we had to really put our foot all the way to the floor,” said Bush.Īs the war in Ukraine stretches into its second year, the US and its allies face an acute problem – Ukraine is burning through ammunition faster than the US and NATO can produce them. Stinger and Javelin missiles are some of the most critical and relied-upon munitions by Ukraine to thwart Russian ground advances and aerial assaults, who previously told the US that it needs 500 of each every day. Bush told reporters in January that the Army was standing up a new plant in Garland, Texas to make artillery shells, while an existing plant is being expanded in Middletown, Iowa that loads, packs and assembles 155 millimeter shells.īush told CNN the Army intends to double the production of Javelin anti-tank missiles, make roughly 33% more Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) surface-to-surface medium-range missiles a year, and produce each month a minimum of 60 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles – which were “almost not in production at all,” according to Bush.
#California ammo stockpile series
A Lockheed Martin plant in Camden, Arkansas, is cranking out a series of rockets and missiles, including those used by the Army’s Patriot missile system – all of which are in high demand in Ukraine. Much of that increase will be fulfilled by the Scranton plant, which makes a large share of the country’s supply of artillery shells.Īcross the US, munitions factories are increasing production as fast as possible. The Army is planning a 500% increase in artillery shell production, from 15,000 a month to 70,000, according to Army acquisition chief Doug Bush. Some of that money will go toward producing what has become a staple of the war – 155 millimeter artillery shells. The Pentagon has allocated roughly $3 billion alone to buy munitions overseas from allies and to ramp up production at home. To keep that up, and to rebuild its own stockpiles, the Pentagon is racing to re-arm, embarking on the biggest increase in ammunition production in decades, and putting portions of the US defense industry on a war-footing despite America technically not being at war.Ī 155mm artillery shell being molded inside the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant.
The US and its allies have already sent nearly $50 billion in aid and equipment to Ukraine’s military over the past year.
As we bring in more modern equipment, it’ll be able to ramp up even further,” said Todd Smith, senior director of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, which operates the plant for the Army. “It’s certainly ramped up over the last year. It’s investing in new high-tech machinery, hiring a few dozen additional workers and will eventually shift to a 24/7 schedule of constant production. To meet that demand, the Scranton plant is undergoing a massive expansion, fueled by millions of dollars in new defense spending from the Pentagon. That may seem like a lot, but the Ukrainian military often fires that many shells over just a few days. Running full-tilt, as it was on a recent January morning, the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant churns out roughly 11,000 artillery shells a month. Inside a sprawling factory just off the President Biden Expressway in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, the future arsenal of Ukraine’s war effort is being forged, one red hot artillery shell at a time.
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