Experts issue arms warning for Ukraine — RT World News
US doesn’t have ‘endless supply’ of weapons and ammunition to send to Kyiv, analysts tell CNBC
Washington may not be able to support Ukraine in the conflict against Russia « as long as it takes » due to a shortage of the industrial capacity needed to replenish the ammunition and weapons it sends to Kyiv, CNBC reported Wednesday, citing military analysts.
« There is a time when…the Ukrainians will have to be careful about their pace of spending and where they will prioritize this ammunition because there is no infinite supply, » he added. . Jack Watling, an expert from the Royal United Services Institute in London, was quoted by the news network.
The problem is said to stem from the structure of military production in Western countries, particularly the United States, which was designed for peacetime and cannot sustain a prolonged drawdown on inventory during a major armed conflict, such as that in Ukraine.
For example, according to CNBC, the US arms industry can produce about 30,000 shells per year for 155mm howitzers. The Ukrainian army consumes this amount in about two weeks. Another example cited is the Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile. US production of the weapon stands at around 800 units a year, but Washington has sent some 8,500 to Ukraine.
Supplies of HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and M777 howitzers are running out in the United States, according to the article, citing a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Defense officials in the United States and other Western countries that arm Ukraine oppose the depletion of stocks intended for their own training and preparation.
» I am very worried. Unless we have new production, which takes months to ramp up, we won’t have the capacity to supply the Ukrainians. Dave Des Roches, senior military researcher at the US National Defense University, told CNBC.
We must put our defense industrial base on a wartime basis. And I don’t see any indication that we have.
According to CNBC, ramping up military production requires securing additional sources of critical parts such as computer chips and skilled labor, which may prove difficult.
For example, US defense contractor L3Harris Technologies has been buying up and cannibalizing its own old radios to get components for new products, Defense News reported last week. The move was necessary to meet customer demand amid the global semiconductor crisis, the outlet explained.
CNBC has suggested that kyiv may turn to new arms suppliers, such as South Korea, or have to switch to less capable weapons that the United States and its European allies would be willing to share.
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