“Uncomfortably low” are the words used by a U.S. defense official to describe the current stock of one type of combat round, The Wall Street Journal reported this week.
“The war in Ukraine has depleted American stocks of some types of ammunition and the Pentagon has been slow to replenish its arsenal, sparking concerns among U.S. officials that American military readiness could be jeopardized by the shortage,” according to the WSJ.
This revelation surfaced just days after the Biden administration announced yet another round of aid for Ukraine, bringing the total amount committed to $13.5 billion in security assistance since the president took office. The most recent package came at a price tag of nearly $3 billion and is the largest single aid package authorized for the war-torn country since the start of Russia's invasion six months ago. President Biden made clear his commitment to the Ukrainian people in last week's announcement of aid, suggesting a deep and long-term commitment to the trans-Atlantic flow of dollars and military equipment.
Beyond the cost to American taxpayers is the potential impact on combat readiness. In addition to a wide array of weaponry, the United States has committed thousands of rounds of ammunition to Ukraine in the last six months, a DOD fact sheet outlines. Much of the ammunition has been sourced directly from U.S. inventory, prompting defense officials to take note of depleting stockpiles, the WSJ found.
In April, the U.S. had a “significant” inventory of 155mm artillery ammo for Ukraine, according to Jack Detsch of Foreign Policy. The Pentagon was unconcerned about stockpiles, according to defense officials cited by Detsch.
As of August 24, over 800,000 rounds of 155mm artillery rounds have been committed to Ukraine since the start of the war, according to the latest DOD figures. The resulting depletion of this particular round leaves the military vulnerable in the event of a conflict, The Wall Street Journal said. “It is not at the level we would like to go into combat,” one defense official told The Wall Street Journal. The Army last year cited budget pressure as reason for a more than 40% cut in spending on 155mm artillery for fiscal year 2022, Inside Defense reported.
The ammunition shortage is described by one expert as “knowable,” “foreseeable,” and “forewarned.” Mackenzie Eaglen of the D.C.-based think tank, American Enterprise Institute, believes it can be solved with additional funding. This solution is constrained by layers of red tape, however, as the military first must assess needs, negotiate contracts and wait on production timelines. Meanwhile, political focus shifts also to the Pacific, where tensions between U.S.-backed Taiwan and China continue to mount. News emerged this week of Biden's plan to ask Congress for approval on funding to Taiwan, according to Politico. The Biden administration looks to push through an estimated $1.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Is this Ukraine corruption or our corruption for arms to Ukraine?
What gives
With our arms they should be winning right
Russia can drag out this war until the West is worn out and can no longer supply the arms and ammunition Ukraine needs to defend itself. We need to increase our supply of 155 mm ammo for both our needs and Ukraine’s needs.
Aren’t pronouns more important?
What or who will start PEACE TALKS? The elite Liberals who claim they hate war should be very upset over the Biden Administration involving America by proxy getting into “another war” even though we don’t per say have boots on the ground! Russia can stay in a war for over 10 yrs. By throwing our American Tax dollars at another endless war seems like another waste of time and money just like the 20 yr Afghanistan war which ended in a disaster! BTW what other countries are helping Ukraine with their dollars? Another war with no direct plan of ending SUCKS.
You mean like the peace talks in Paris that ended the Vietnam War?
First America didn’t enter this war by proxy. There was an attack on a Sovereign nation that we had prior treaties to protect if they would discard their nuclear weapons to make the world a safer place. It can be argued the merits of surrendering our sovereignty to save the world but we see the same dance going on with Iran now. There were 2 signators of note. The U.S. and Russia. What happens when one of the gurantors of protection becomes the attacker. Further the agressor clearly announced an attempt to overshadow and conspire with China to guarantee the success of this invasion. They clearly discarded the position of the US with intent for a new world order. This is the same aggressor that has attacked our men in Syria and conspired with our other enemies throughout history and many in their American graves will attest. We spend god zillions of tax payer money for our military that is supposed to be for protecting Americans. If this aggressor in the New World Order is successful there is good indication they will, as announced turn their weapons to weaken America from Europe. You can only run so long till the bully has you by the collar…
Maybe someone should have reminded Biden and his folks that you have to replace stuff you use… Biden’s old. He forgets stuff like that. Little girls distract him. Stuff happens. Give him a break.
BUT, yes, the primary expendable, to date, in this war has been artillery munitions, most particularly the 155mm rounds which form the backbone of US and NATO artillery (the other two munitions in much use are the 105mm and 175mm shells). It should surprise nobody who knows anything about Russian military tactics to know that, sooner or later, it becomes an artillery duel. It’s how Russians fight and they maintain the stockpiles necessary to support their style of war. The USA has a lot more “tools” and types of armaments but that necessarily means less of each kind and you don’t want to get into a war of attrition in such a case.
If you cannot match the Russians shell for shell, then you have to look at a different tactic – attacking depots and bases where ammo is stockpiled is one approach. The other is disrupting distribution – either by forcing the Russians to bring their supplies longer distances or by destroying the trains, trucks, roads, and rails which move the supplies to the front. At this point, arguing the legitimacy or desirability of the war is pointless. We’re in it. We cannot afford to have Russia win it and that means we need to start allocating money to produce the necessary ammunition to sustain the effort. Allow me to suggest that the billions being (illegally) offered for “student loan forgiveness” would be a good place to find money for that effort. We need an independent Ukraine and Moldova more than we need another Starbucks barrista with a degree in Lesbian Dance Theory.