The United States reviews weapons stockpiles for potential conflicts

Washington. Week after week, Ukraine needs new weapons, and the war does not allow it to breathe. Much of this comes at least indirectly from the United States, and the questions for Washington are: How strong are our supplies? Will there be enough weapons in case of another major conflict? “We’re not in a situation where we only have some vital weapons for a few days,” Michael McCord, the Pentagon’s chief financial officer, told reporters recently. “But we now support a partner like that.”

Russia’s war against Ukraine could drag on for a long time. Weapons to the front are delivered to Ukraine almost every week. This week, the United States announced an additional 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

Russia fires up to 20,000 projectiles a day, ranging from automatic gunshots to cruise missiles the size of a truck. Ukraine responds with up to 7,000 shells a day, including shells from 155mm howitzers, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and now shells from the Western air defense system NASAMS.

Focus on the conflict between China and Taiwan

However, the US defense industry’s product lines are not designed for a major war on land. Some of them were closed, like that of the Stinger missile.

Washington’s arsenal is being put to the test not only for the Ukraine war, but also for other potential flashpoints. Particular attention is paid to the conflict between China and Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory.

“What happens if something explodes at Indo-Pacom? Not in five years, not in ten, but if it happens next week?” Bill LaBant, the Pentagon’s chief arms buyer, asked these days, referring to the US Forces Command. in the Indian and Pacific oceans. “What do we have in sufficient quantities? What does this actually pack a punch? These are the questions we ask ourselves this moment.”

More than $19 billion in military aid to Kiev

According to the Pentagon’s information, the US armed forces use a lot of ammunition and weapons, which Ukraine especially needs. These include HIMARS rocket artillery systems, Stinger missiles and 155 mm howitzers. Pentagon representative Doug Bush told reporters this week that the need for the stocks is now under consideration.

“You look at what Ukraine is using, what we can produce, how quickly we can expand. Those all go into thinking, ‘Okay, how big is the pre-war stockpile?’” Bush said. “The slower you refill, the bigger the supply has to be.” At first.”

US military aid is funded either by stockpiles or increased production contracts with industry. To date, military aid has totaled at least $19 billion (€18.2 billion).

Problems with Stinger missiles and the HIMARS system

But even if the money continues to flow in for it, it is becoming clear that the arms supply is faltering. Many systems important to Ukraine were discontinued years ago, such as the Stinger missile system. In May, the US Department of Defense awarded arms company Raytheon a $624 million (600 million euro) order for 1,300 new Stinger missiles after a break of many years, but the weapons manufacturer was unable to manufacture them due to procurement problems with components before next year.

“The Stinger line closed in 2008,” admitted Pentagon buyer LaPlante. “And who did it? We’ve all been.”

A similar problem arose with the HIMARS system, according to LaPlante. Attempts are now being made to increase and accelerate production in order to reach 96 units per year. The Ministry of Defense recently announced a new contract worth $14.4 million (€13.8 million) for this. And the Ukrainian war has highlighted challenges and shortcomings, sums up Ryan Probst, an analyst at the FDD Institute for Policy Research in Washington: “It showed that arms production in the United States and our allies is probably not enough for large-scale ground wars.”

RND/AP