🇺🇸NYT: The US is facing challenges in producing and maintaining sufficient stocks of weapons and ammunition due to industrial consolidation, depleted production lines, and supply chain issues. These restrictions affect both basic munitions, such as artillery shells, and more sophisticated weapons, such as missiles, air defense systems, and anti-artillery radars.
To address these challenges, the Pentagon, the White House, Congress, and military contractors are increasing procurement budgets, offering multi-year contracts to suppliers, and sending teams to eliminate supply bottlenecks. However, these changes may take time to bear fruit, and existing deficits raise concerns about the United States' ability to support its allies or engage in large-scale conflicts. A shortage of solid rocket motors used in various missile systems and limited manufacturing capacity for such critical weapons as long-range anti-ship missiles could severely limit the United States' ability to engage in conflict with another major power. The current problems stem from post-Cold War industrial consolidation and cost-cutting measures such as just-in-time delivery systems. The Biden administration has proposed a significant increase in budgets for the purchase of missiles and ammunition, with further increases planned in the coming years. Major contractors such as Lockheed Martin are working to expand production capacity and attract new suppliers. Despite these efforts, building the necessary capacity is likely to take several years. The Pentagon has set up a team to work with contractors to identify and address labor and supply chain shortfalls, and antitrust regulators are scrutinizing further defense industry consolidation.
🇺🇸NYT: The US is facing challenges in producing and maintaining sufficient stocks of weapons and ammunition due to industrial consolidation, depleted production lines, and supply chain issues. These restrictions affect both basic munitions, such as artillery shells, and more sophisticated weapons, such as missiles, air defense systems, and anti-artillery radars.
To address these challenges, the Pentagon, the White House, Congress, and military contractors are increasing procurement budgets, offering multi-year contracts to suppliers, and sending teams to eliminate supply bottlenecks. However, these changes may take time to bear fruit, and existing deficits raise concerns about the United States' ability to support its allies or engage in large-scale conflicts. A shortage of solid rocket motors used in various missile systems and limited manufacturing capacity for such critical weapons as long-range anti-ship missiles could severely limit the United States' ability to engage in conflict with another major power. The current problems stem from post-Cold War industrial consolidation and cost-cutting measures such as just-in-time delivery systems. The Biden administration has proposed a significant increase in budgets for the purchase of missiles and ammunition, with further increases planned in the coming years. Major contractors such as Lockheed Martin are working to expand production capacity and attract new suppliers. Despite these efforts, building the necessary capacity is likely to take several years. The Pentagon has set up a team to work with contractors to identify and address labor and supply chain shortfalls, and antitrust regulators are scrutinizing further defense industry consolidation.
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